Tibet: Nechung Monastery Main Page
Lhasa Main PageSubjects & Topics:
- Description (below)
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Video: Nechung Monastery (HAR on Patreon [13 min.])
Historical Topics:
- Nechung Chogyong
- Pehar Gyalpo Main Page
- 5th Dalai Lama
- Samye Monastery
- Oracles & Divination
'Nechung Monastery lies on the outskirts of Lhasa (fig. 2), halfway up to the sprawling monastery of Drepung that dominates the face of Gepel Utse Mountain. While not as large as Drepung or the other major monasteries of the Geluk tradition,1 Nechung is home to a unique and evocative collection of murals portraying wrathful figures that cover the walls of its courtyard and assembly hall. The content of these paintings includes numerous fierce protector deities and wrathful tantric tutelary divinities. While all Tibetan monasteries have their assortment of murals and paintings, Nechung’s stand out for the extensiveness of their graphic and fierce images, as well as their gruesome nature and connection to the Nechung Oracle.' Essay: WRATHFUL TANTRIC IMAGERY AT THE SEAT OF THE TIBETAN STATE ORACLE by Christopher Bell.
The murals lining the inner walls of the expansive outdoor courtyard were re-painted in 1984 following the remaining outlines of the older murals. The paintings had become significantly damaged from neglect and weathering along with the cooking smoke of the many Tibetan families that moved into the courtyard and occupied the location until the mid 1980s. The subject of the murals are the 75 Lords of Pure Lineage which are an assembled group of worldly protectors that are also shared with other important protector deities such as the Shadbhuja 'Six-armed' Mahakala originating from the Eight Chapter Mahakala Tantra.
The decorative front door of the Nechung temple apparently remained undamaged and displays a more original painting and design due to the overhanging front roof of the building and recessed patio. It must be assumed that the murals of the Nyingma Tantric deities and the Eight Heruka inside the main temple have also been re-painted since 1984.
Art Study Topics:
- Courtyard Murals
- Door
- Temple Murals
- Upper Floors
- Architecture
- History
Jeff Watt [updated 1-2019, 8-2025]
Essay: WRATHFUL TANTRIC IMAGERY AT THE SEAT OF THE TIBETAN STATE ORACLE by Christopher Bell.
NECHUNG: THE RITUAL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF A TIBETAN BUDDHIST PROTECTOR DEITY. Christopher Paul Bell. Department of Religious Studies. University of Virginia,
August 2013. (Download Dissertation).
(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).
