Kumbum
See also: Kumbum (homonymy)
A Kumbum is a chorten Tibetan of big size constituting a building, comparable with a temple.
The base of Kumbum gathers on several stages of the vaults sheltering of the statues of Buddhist divinities . Its name comes from the expression Tibetan kumbum (Translittération Wylie: Sku 'bum) which means “a hundred and thousand holy images”.
Kumbum de Gyantse
The most known Kumbum oldest and is located at Gyantse, in current the autonomous region of Tibet. Its construction was undertaken in 1418, and it was devoted in 1427 by the lord of Gyantse, Rabten Kunzang Phagba, founder of the monastery of Palkhorchöde.Of a 32 meters height, it contains a large statue of the Bouddha in meditation and comprises six levels occupied by chapelles : four in the octagonal base , then a circular stage of form surmounted by a terrace supporting a square vault. The unit is overcome by thirteen superimposed circular discs symbolizing the thirteen supra-human states.
The vaults, traversed by the pilgrims according to an ascending spiral in the direction of the needles of a watch, contain polychrome moulded clay statues, whose style are mainly marked by art newar of the Nepal, certain Chinese influences and Indians appearing sometimes.
On the whole, the building comprises 73 vaults and 108 doors (crowned number of Buddhism tantric), and would contain: 27529 images. It miraculeusement was miraculeusement saved by the Cultural revolution.
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