Architecture on the Road
VISITING THE MILAREPA PALACE
Milarepa’s palace is a unique, unusual building that leaves visitors speechless. The 9 storey Buddhist temple has a tower shape, and is dedicated to Milarepa (also called Milariba), who is one of the most famous figures in Tibetan Buddhist culture.
The Palace is located in the city of Hezuo (合作市), the capital of the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in the Gansu Province of China.
The Milarepa Palace in Hezuo is a 9-storey tower designed in the Tibetan style, a very unusual and unique structure for this architectural typology! The reason for this particular form can be found in the life story of Milarepa himself.
Milarepa (1051 – 1135) had a turbulent upbringing. The premature death of his father, and the subsequent take over of his father’s property by some family members, left the mother and the young boy eager for revenge.
Their thirst for revenge ultimately led the boy to assassinate the culprits of his family’s misfortune.
Growing up, Milarepa repented of his actions, turning to the Buddhist doctrine in order to purify himself. Eventually, he was sent to learn the doctrine from the master Marpa, who entrusted Milarepa with extremely difficult and strenuous tasks in order to purify his bad karma. Among these tasks, on 3 different occasions the master demanded Milarepa to build stone towers with his bare hands. Each time after they were completed, he ordered Milarepa to demolish them. During this extremely harsh training, Milarepa never wavered or questioned the master’s teachings, demonstrating incredible perseverance and dedication. At the end of the construction of the 4th building (a 9-storey tower), the master Marpa, satisfied with the obedience of the disciple, decided to leave the building standing.
This 9-storey tower built by Milarepa is still standing today in the Sekhar Gutog Monastery of Lhodrag, in southern Tibet.
After purifying his bad karma Milarepa was finally welcomed by the master Marpa among his disciples, starting a journey that, thanks to his practice and incredible perseverance, brought him to achieve enlightenment. For this reason he is considered one of the most important figures for Tibetan culture (he was also a yogi and a poet), revered as one of the greatest masters and siddha (those who are perfected and accomplished in their physical or spirituality).
The building is surrounded by a few perimeter walls adorned with hundreds of prayer wheels, spun every day by pilgrims walking the perimeter in clockwise circles.
Prayer wheels are indeed a fundamental element in Tibetan culture. On their surface and interior, there are inscribed mantras (repeated words or phrases used to help concentrate, meditate, and pray). The spinning of prayer wheels is considered by Tibetans as an act of praying.
After purchasing the entrance ticket (20rmb) and leaving my shoes at the entrance (mandatory), I finally started to ascend the Palace, which I found to be a very unique experience in itself.
Each one of the 9 floors is a temple in itself, and the climb to the top is accompanied by a multitude of Milarepa paintings, Buddha statues, sacred figures, photographs of past and living Lamas, flickering yak butter candles, Tantric Buddhist deities of various colors and shapes, some with peace and serenity, others with frightening expressions, and intricate carpets and banners adorning the floors and walls. There are so many rich and fine details that my eyes grew fatigued trying to catch a glimpse everything!
The interior of the building and its structure are all made of wood: the columns, walls, and creaking floors. Everything is creaky and richly painted with Tibetan stories and traditional colorful patterns, glittering in the dim light.
As you ascend to the top, the structure becomes increasingly inclined and creaking.
The nine-story climb represents a journey through Tibetan culture, and it is a real pity that taking photographs inside the palace is forbidden (which I respected of course). Every single detail deserved to be portrayed and shown to the world, appreciated and praised, but unfortunately that is not possible. The beautiful secret of Milarepa’s interior will continue to be kept hidden inside the palace, only to be admired in person.
Next to the Milarepa Palace, at the side of a hill, stands the Tso Gompa, the main Buddhist Monastery of Hezuo. The monastery is located just a few minutes walk from the Palace, and can be an interesting visit for those who are interested in Tibetan monasteries and architecture.
The city of Hezuo is also home to a vast Muslim community. At the other side of the main road, it is possible to admire some Mosques, beautiful examples of the combination of Muslim culture and traditional Chinese Architecture.
Muslim culture is actually very common in Gansu Province, especially around the city of Lingxia (called the little Mecca of China), which is just a 1.5 hour ride from Hezuo. During my bus rides from Lanzhou to Xiahe and Hezuo, I had the chance to admire dozens of beautiful mosques scattered all over the coutryside, of every colour and shape, a curious view that I found extremely unique and fascinating.
The city of Hezuo is the capital of the Gannan region, the Tibetan Autonomous Region of Gansu Province, and is well connected by bus to other cities in the surrounding region (Lanzhou, Linxia, Xiahe, Langmusi).
The bus is the only public transportation to reach the city, as there is no Railway connection.
Once arrived at the bus station, it is easy to find the Milarepa Palace, which stands 1.5 km north-east from the bus station. The imposing size of the building is easily visible over the cityscape, and reachable with a 15 minute walk along one of the main roads of the city.
From Lanzhou:
There are 4 buses everyday between Lanzhou and Hezuo, and the duration of the journey is 4 hours (around 60 rmb).
From Xiahe:
Hezuò is well connected with Xiahe, with busses every 30 minutes. The ride to Xiahe takes 1h.
A stop in Hezuò can be a valid alternative to catch the connection between Lanzhou and Xiahe.
In fact, I personally picked Hezuo as a convenient stop in between to catch the bus from the beautiful Labrang Monastery to Langzhou. The stop of 4 hours that I had in the city was chosen initially by necessity, but turned out to be an interesting quick peek destination during my trip to this part of Gansu Province.
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