Vairocana BuddhaGuge kingdom (Yeshe-O and Rinchen Zangpo)Mud-brick Tibetan monastic complex of nine temples, stupas and chortens
Sacred since
996 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
founded 996 CE
Guge kingdom (Yeshe-O and Rinchen Zangpo)
History & significance
The oldest continuously functioning Buddhist monastery in India and the Himalayas, founded in 996 CE during the later spread of Buddhism in Tibet. Its murals and stucco images have earned it the name 'the Ajanta of the Himalayas'.