Namdo

Western view of the ensemble from the opposite side of the slope. Auer 2023

Eastern view of the site from above. Auer 2023

South-western view of the ensemble. Auer 2023

Dechen Labrang of Namdo

Coordinates: 29°23’29.74”N, 83° 6’0.36”E, elevation 3950 meters.

The Dechen Labrang (bDe-chen bla-brang: Residence of Great Happiness) is situated in the Nang-khong valley. Comming from Saldang the trail leads along the west side of the canyon, passing by Zel Fort and Monastery, which is built on a protruding crag dominating the whole valley. After half an hour walk one can reach the village of Namdo, consisting of wide scattered houses between terraced fields.
The building complex is situated on the junction of two valleys on an island-like area, built against the cliff. The foothills of a rock form an impressive setting for the ensemble, which consists of a series of multi-storey buildings, with residential and temle rooms, constructed in various stages directly in front of the rock face. The Dechen Labrang is located at the western part of the structure, with its temple on the second floor.
It is unclear how the access to the gompa was originally designed due to the alterations. Traces on the facades suggest structural changes. Today, there is an annex directly in front of the southwest facade, which houses the new kitchen of the lama-family. The access to the temple room leads from the ground floor of the white-washed annex at the south-east into an open courtyard on the second floor. From here, a door leads into the vestibule and further to the temple interior. The roof can be accessed via the courtyard. The various storeys are all connected by ladders made of notched treetrunks. There is another tempel room in the building directly adjacent to the south-east side – easily recognizable by the red facade – but it is kept by another family and was unfortunately not accessible during our visit.
A new, more spacious gompa was built on the north-west side a few years ago for larger gatherings. On the west side of the ensemble a row of chörten – three large, multi-tiered and one small one – is located. There are also several chörten on the edge of the rock formation: a small cube, painted red and blue, directly above the gompa, and four more – in two groups – further up, on a flat plateau that offers a wide view over the river valley.

TU Graz – IGMS, Woschitz, H. & Bauer, P. (2024): 3D Model of the survey in 2023.
References: Snellgrove, David. Himalayan Pilgrimage. A study of Tibetan religion by a traveller through Western Nepal. Oxford 1961: 103-106. Snellgrove, David. Four Lamas of Dolpo: Autobiographies of Four Tibetan Lamas (15th–18th Centuries). Volume I, Oxford 1967.