Chagpori

Chagpori, Chakpori, Chokpori, Chagpo Ri (Wylie: lcags po ri, literally "Iron Mountain"; simplified Template:Wiki: 药王山; Template:Wiki: 藥王山; pinyin: Yàowáng shān) is a sacred hill in the city of Lhasa in Tibet, China.

It south of the Potala and just to the left when one is facing the Potala. It is considered to be one of the four holy mountains of central Tibet.

Chagpori was the site of the monastic medical college of the same name founded there by Sangye Gyatso in 1696.

This medical college, which incorporated a recently restored temple made by Thang Tong Gyalpo, was supplied with revenue generating lands and with a constant Template:Wiki of students by a "monk tax". It remained an important Template:Wiki institution in Tibet and Template:Wiki up until the mid-Twentieth century.

During the March 1959 Lhasa uprising, the Template:Wiki school and a temple housing statutes of coral (Tsepame), mother-of-pearl (of Tujechempo) and Template:Wiki (of Drolma) were demolished by PLA artillery as the Tibetans had placed a few cannons up there.

It is now crowned by radio antennas, which has been viewed as "yet another Template:Wiki attempt to demean the things of value to the people of Tibet." A road has been constructed through the spur that used to connect Chagpori with the Marpori ('Red Hill') on which the Potala is built.

Some rebuilding has since taken place a number of old rock carvings have survived through damage. Some of them are thought to have been carved during the reign of king Songtsän Gampo (605 or 617? - 649 CE) and painted by Template:Wiki Template:Wiki. Some buildings have been rebuilt near the base of the hill and there is now again a small temple with prayer wheels.

Three main hills of Lhasa

Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors of Tibet." Chagpori is the soul-mountain (bla-ri) of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjushri, and Marpori, Marpori Hill is the hill which the Potala stands, represents Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara. Template:W