Tokyu

Jampa Lakhang in Tokyu seen from southeast. Auer 2019

Mani wall along the way to the temple. Auer 2018

The temple seen from south. Neuwirth 2019

South-eastern view of the temple. Auer 2019

Eastern view of the temple. Auer 2019

Jampa Lakhang in Tokyu seen from southeast. Auer 2019

Jampa Lakhang of Tokyu

Coordinates of the site: 29° 9’52.38” northern latitude and 83° 9’31.08” eastern longitude, at an altitude of 4214 meters.

The settlement of Tokyu lies in the upper part of the Tarap Valley, north of the main village Dho Tarap. At this place two valleys and rivers are converging, one from the north, the other from the northwest. The Jampa Lakhang (Tib.: byams-pa lka-khang) is situated on the west bank of the Tarap River, surrounded by terraced fields. The foundation of the temple is attributed to Amapal (1388-1456), the first King of Mustang his son Agon Zangpo (1420-1482). A path leads from the river to the temple which stands slightly elevated outside the settlement. Eight recently reconstructed chörten on a walled terracing are located in front of the temple, in the middle of which the access path leads up to the temples entrance.[1] The site is bounded by a mani wall to the south and a stone wall to the west. On the north side, at some distance, the residence of the lama is located. The temple itself is two-storeyed and measures up to 11.40 x 15.40 metres on the outside, on the east side the facade reaches 5.50 metres up to the roof construction. An annex on the south side measures 4.10 x 6.00 meters and also extends over two floors. The entrance to the temples vestibule is located on the east side. From here the main room on the ground floor, a chamber separated on the south side containing a prayer wheel, and the common rooms on the upper floor are accessible. The entrance to the temples main room lies in its central axis. Three differently sized windows, two on the north wall and another one the south wall of the room, allow natural lighting. The interior is structured by six pillars in two rows. The three transverse main beams of the ceiling were additionally supported at the side walls by three round pillars on each side. On the western wall the altar with the dominating central Maitreya figure is standing, next to it there are room-high painted shelves containing further sculptures in the lower and books in the upper part. The room is up to 9.70 metres wide and 11.10 metres deep, with a room hight of 3.10 metres. At the rear, the ceiling height above the altar rises up to 4.1 meters. The walls are decorated with murals. The doors, pillars, capitals and the overlying main beams of the wooden ceiling are decorated with paintings. The upper floor is accessed by a wooden stairscase on the north side of the vestibule. Through an anteroom located above the vestibule, one reaches the upper floor of the temple, an open space that was used as a kitchen and storage room. In the central part of the room, the floor shows an opening to the ground floor, which was closed with boards. Above the raised altar area, the formerly open column construction is still clearly visible. The entranc to a seperated chamber is located on the southeast side of the room. On the south-western corner of the upper floor there is the entrance to the upper room of the annex, that can be accessed via a portal being carefully designed. A staircase leads down to the room level, the interior is 5.20 wide and 3.80 meters deep, with a room hight of 2.30 metres, and is lit by a window on the south side. Another window on the north side allows a direct line of sight to the altar area on the ground floor. The access to the flat roof is situated on the south side of the common room. The flat roof of this annex is slightly lower than that of the main building, the corner areas of its attic are the emphasized by superstructures, as well as on the temple roof. The configuration of the rooms allows a reconstruction of the original single-story temple and its construction stages, which were represented as a spatial mode.

References 1: The Dolpo Tulku Charitable Foundation (DTCF): Report of the “Renovation/Restoration of the eight great Stupas at Champa Monastery”, 2018-2018. Jest, Corneille. Dolpo, Communautés de langue tibetaine du Népal. Paris 1975. Snellgrove, David. Himalayan Pilgrimage. A study of Tibetan religion by a traveller through Western Nepal. Oxford 1961, p. 154-157.