Dêgê
Encyclopedia
Derge is a town in Dêgê County in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
in China's Sichuan
province. It was once the center of the Derge Kingdom
of Eastern Tibet.
, or parkhang, built in 1729, where Kangyur
, a collection of Buddhist
scriptures and Tengyur
, a collection of commentaries, are still printed from wooden blocks. It was established during the reign of Derge king Tenpa Tsering. The printing house, run by monks, continues to use its ancient techniques and uses no electricity. The roof is used for drying the printed sheets.
It has been estimated that the 217,000 blocks stored at Derge comprise 70% of the Tibetan
literary heritage.
The town also contains several historic Tibetan monasteries, notably the Gongchen Monastery
.
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan whose capital is Kangding . It is sometimes spelled as "Kardze" by non-government sources....
in China's Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
province. It was once the center of the Derge Kingdom
Kingdom of Dêgê
The Kingdom of Derge was an important kingdom in Eastern Tibet, a center of industry, religion and politics, with the seat of its kingdom in the town of Derge. The kings of Derge followed a 1300-year lineage....
of Eastern Tibet.
History
Historically, Derge, which means "land of mercy" was one of the three ancient centres of Tibetan culture, along with Lhasa and Xiahe. Derge was formerly the seat of the kings of the kingdom of Derge, whose 1300-year lineage was broken with the death of the last male heir in the 1990s. The kingdom was an important industrial, religious and political center in Eastern Tibet. In the early 20th century, the kingdom fell into political struggle between the final heirs to the throne, Djembel Rinch'en and Doje Senkel. The latter, who had enjoyed the backing of the Chinese, yielded the kingdom to China in 1908 in exchange for the ousting of his rival. The palace of the Derge kings was subsequently converted into a school.Culture
The town of Derge is famous for its three-storey printing houseDerge Parkhang
The Derge Parkhang, is one of the foremost cultural treasures of Tibet...
, or parkhang, built in 1729, where Kangyur
Kangyur
The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, made up of the Kangyur or Kanjur and the Tengyur or Tanjur .-The Tibetan Buddhist Canon:In addition to earlier foundational Buddhist texts from early Buddhist schools, mostly...
, a collection of Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
scriptures and Tengyur
Tengyur
The Tengyur or Tanjur is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or "Translated Treatises"...
, a collection of commentaries, are still printed from wooden blocks. It was established during the reign of Derge king Tenpa Tsering. The printing house, run by monks, continues to use its ancient techniques and uses no electricity. The roof is used for drying the printed sheets.
It has been estimated that the 217,000 blocks stored at Derge comprise 70% of the Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
literary heritage.
The town also contains several historic Tibetan monasteries, notably the Gongchen Monastery
Gongchen Monastery
Gonchen is a large Sakya Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the town of Derge, in Sichuan, China...
.