Minya Konka Monastery – The Highlight of Mount Gongga

On the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, nestled between the Dadu River and the Yalong River, sits the highest mountain, Mount Gongga, in Sichuan Province. With its peak at an elevation of 7,556 meters, Mount Gongga has earned the local, Sichuan title of “King of the Mountains”. Also known locally as Minya Konka, the mountain is the highest over 7,000 meters east of the Himalayas, and the third highest peak outside the entire Himalayan Range.

Konka Monastery – The Highlight of Mount Gongga

Gongga is Tibetan for “Snow white”, and this mountain has been perfectly named, as it is one of the famous “snow mountains” that can be found in certain parts of Sichuan, Qinghai, and Tibet. Covered in snow all year round, Gongga is a challenging mountain, and one that has only been climbed by 24 people due to its changeable, moist climate. More people have actually died attempting the climb than have actually made it to the summit, with a total of 37 recorded deaths.

Mount Gongga - One of the Most Popular Trekking Destinations

While this may sound like a morbid fact about the mountain, it is one that should be well noted for trekkers and climbers in the region. Mount Gongga is one of the most popular trekking destinations in the world for hard-core, international trekkers. This middle section of the Hengduan Mountain Range has more than 50 other snow-covered peaks around Gongga, giving an amazing vista of snow-capped mountain scenery that takes your breath away.

Where is Konka Monastery

Located on the west side of Minya Konka is a monastery of the Kagyu, or Black Hat, sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Sitting within a narrow valley enclosed by snow-capped mountains, Minya Konka Monastery, also known as Gongga Temple, while being much like any other Tibetan monastery, has the advantage of its scenic location, which makes it one of the most popular monasteries in Sichuan Province for tourists. 3,941 meters up the mountain valley, perched above a glacier, this beautifully located lamasery is cut off from the outside world for 3-4 months every year.

Hike up to the Monastery

A dirt road leads up to the monastery, though you would need a good 4x4 to make the trip. However, the hike up to the monastery is half of the attraction, and it is worth the hours spent walking to see the amazing views of all the surrounding mountains. And the view of the monastery in the valley below as you crest Tsemi Pass is one of outstanding natural beauty.

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History of Minya Konka Monastery

Built in 1285, this beautiful, small Gongga Temple has quite an interesting history, despite its extremely remote location. It bears a remarkable resemblance to the original buildings. And more work has been done more recently, with new buildings added, which only add to the beauty of the monastery.

History of Konka Monastery

Aside from its 600-year history as a monastery of the Kagyu sect, and almost the “guardian” of the sacred Minya Konka, this was the place where world-famous explorer Joseph Rock almost lost his life while surveying the region for the National geographic. Once known as the “holy mountain of the outlaws”, in the 1920s it was described as “a dangerous and lawless place, infested with bandits; a godless area where even the Buddhist monks pillaged, plundered, and murdered”. There are many accounts of the era, where the infamous Konkalingpas would raid small towns and caravans that ran along the old trade routes.

When Rock wrote his account of the region, he warned against visiting it, as he said “the monks were the most notorious criminals”, who, he alleged, went out on “looting expeditions” between prayer sessions.

The monastery is known to have been a co-ed monastery.

While Rock had many tales to tell of the monastery and its notorious “criminal monks”, little is known about its history in the 500 odd years before Rock made it to Mount Gongga. The monastery is known to have been a co-ed monastery that once housed 400 members of the Sangha, and the resident living Buddhas of Konka have all spent their time there. Nowadays, the monastery has only one resident, who keeps it in order, and on special occasions monks come from the lower monasteries such as Liuba, to put on special ceremonies for the multitude of gods that reside in the mountain.

What to See in Minya Konka Monastery

The formal name for this serene place is Gangkar Namgyel Ling, which when spoken with a Tibetan voice has an innocent, soothing, and almost angelic ring to it. The monastery itself is set in an idyllic spot, surrounded by lush green forests. On a clear day, it is easy to see the massive magnificence of Minya Konka soaring high into the sky, almost directly opposite the monastery. The plants and animals in the area around the monastery grow wild, with no roads cutting through their territory, no machines breaking the peaceful stillness of the landscape, and no hunters. The local people believe that all the natural wildlife in the area around this holy mountain is sacred, and must be kept and preserved.

Konka Monastery is set in an idyllic spot.

The views around Gongga Monastery are the same ones that made Rock so ecstatic about finding the place in 1929. Very little has changed in the almost 90 years since he visited, and as you stand looking out it makes you feel as if you have entered some isolated natural wonderland.

Mount Gongga, across from the monastery, is deemed to be a “holy mountain” by the Tibetan Buddhists that live in the area. They believe that there is no spot on the earth that is more beautiful than Minya Konka, and that one night spent in prayer on the holy mountain is the equivalent to ten years spent sat in prayer and meditation. They say that one offering of burning juniper here is worth hundreds of thousands of prayers, as they believe the mountain is the physical incarnation of the mountain spirit, Dordjelutru.

Holy Mountain

The Gompa, albeit relatively small, has a very unique chanting hall inside. The walls are completely covered with bright murals of the fierce-looking Buddhist gods, portrayed in many postures but mainly surrounded by skulls and bolts of lightning. There are several small, gold statues of Buddha in niches around the walls, and in the center of the back wall sits a small, solid gold statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni, a replica of the one in the Jokhang Temple, in Lhasa.

A Unique Chanting Hall

In a small back room of the monastery, behind the chanting hall, is one of the most sacred relics of the monastery. Only around a foot wide and three feet high, the relic is an ancient portrait of the mountain god Dordjelutru. Nearby is an inscription in Tibetan that tells how the Indian founder of the Karmapa (red hat) branch of Tibetan Buddhism pronounced the god to be the equal of their prime deity, Shenrezig, and that all the Tibetan Buddhist deities dwelled within the sacred mountain of Minya Konka. It also tells how anyone gazing on the sacred peak would have all his former sins wiped, so that he may begin his life anew.

A Small Back Room of Konka Monastery

The monastery also contains several rooms that are used as a boarding house for tourists, pilgrims, and the mountaineers who use the monastery as a base camp for a Mount Gongga Trekking tour. To one side of the rooms is a small chapel room, marked as the place where Joseph Rock spent his one and only night at the monastery. The room contains a golden chorten, or shrine, encrusted with precious jewels. The sarcophagus contains the remnants of a previous “living Buddha” of the monastery, which are now revered as sacred by the monks who visit.

Joseph Rock spent his one and only night at Konka Monastery.

Rock spent the whole night in the room with the shrine, and wrote in his journal, “Here, all alone, in the presence of a sacred mummy in a hoary lamasery, I listened to the tempest breaking over the icy peak of Minya Konka. Was this the year 1929 or had time been set back a thousand years?" Entitled “A weird night with a mummy for companion”, Rock’s article tells how he lay in the small cot, shivering as thunder crashed around the mountain, rain lashed at the small monastery, and lightning lit the sky like daytime, as the god, Dordjelutru, “staged an electrical display in this weird canyon”.

A Small Chapel Room

Outside, and a little way above the monastery, is the most sacred spot for pilgrims who come to pray there. Almost a thousand meters higher up the mountain, is a small shrine that is dedicated to the mountain god, Dordjelutru. This tiny, red and white shrine is said to be a very special place, where all the prayers could be said direct to the mountain god. While the shrine can be seen as a small red dot on the mountainside, which does not look far, the trek to get there is arduous, and crosses several glaciers and a rough, hard climb up the glacial moraine valley.

Trekking around the Konka Monastery

Wreathed in shifting clouds, life within this small monastery goes on at its own, steady pace, as the lone, resident lama observes the ancient Buddhist traditions, undisturbed by the few visitors from nearby villages and even other countries. For those pilgrims who are devout, the kora around the mountain is one that is one that is said to give huge merit to those who complete it. It is not normally a popular thing for pilgrims to do the kora around Minya Konka for most of the year. However, at the time of the Saga Dawa Festival, hundreds of locals from the surrounding villages would be in the mountains for the circumambulation.

Hiking Routes to Minya Konka Monastery (Mount Gongga Hiking Route)

Minya Konka is a huge area, and there are several good trekking routes that you can use to get to the monastery. Or you can try out your own route based on the routes available; to give you the itinerary that takes you to all the places you want to visit. However, there are three main routes that are the most popular, which you can take as recommended routes to Konka Monastery.

Kangding - Shangmuju – Zimei Pass – Kongka Monastery - Bawang Lake – Caoke – Chengdu

The first route takes around five days, and takes you from Kangding on a drive to Shangmuju Village, from where you will start the trek. From Shangmuju, you will trek to Zimei Pass, and then the Upper Zimei Village on the first day, where you will camp for the night. The trekking on the following day takes you to Konka Monastery, and gives the best local view of Minya Konka.

The Beauty of Zimei Village

After staying in the temple boarding house for the night, the trek then continues to Lower Zimei Village, and on to Bawang lake. At the lake you will camp for the night, and then set off next morning to Jiebei Stone, from where you will get the car to Caoke, then on to Shimian, and back to Chengdu on the following day.

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Kangding - Laoyulin – Gexi Pasture – Riwuqie Pass – Moxi Valley – Konka Monastery – Shangmuju – Kangding

The second route starts in Kangding, where you will be driven to Laoyulin, where you can hire a horse and guide, before trekking up to the Gexi Pasture, where you will camp for the night. The following day is a trek to the Liangchi River, where you will take the route towards the Riwuqie Pass, via Shangriwuqie. The route passes the Tianhaizi Mountain, with its impressive views. After camping the night at Shangriwuqie, the morning sees you trekking to the Riwuqie Pass, and enjoying the snow mountains and glaciers that can be seen along the way.

On the Way to Lower Riwuqie with Horses

Cresting the pass, you will then head down into the Moxi Valley, where you will stop for the night. The following morning, you trek the last stretch to the Konka Monastery across the Winter Pasture. The Temple and Konka is a famous religious shrine, and a great place to get the best shots of Minya Konka. The final night is spent in the temple, and in the morning your trek heads down to Shangmuju Village, and then the drive back to Kangding.

Kangding – Laoyulin – Gexi Pasture – Shangriwuqie – Moxi Valley – Winter Pasture – Konka Monastery – Zimei Pass – Bawang Lake – Caoke – Chengdu

This final route of the three is the longer one, taking at least six days to complete. Heading from Kangding to Laoyulin by car, you can hire the horse and guide for the trek there, before starting off for Gexi Pasture. After crossing the pasture, you will arrive at Liangchi River, where you will camp for the night. The morning takes you up to Riwuqie, stopping at Shangriwuqie for the night. Once across the Riwuqie Pass the next morning, you will trek down to the campsite in Moxi valley, passing some of the most beautiful scenery on the way. Camping at the far end of Moxi Valley, you start the following morning with a light trek across the Winter Pasture to the Gongga Temple.

Stopping at Shangriwuqie

As the altitude descends the whole way, it makes it a little easier than the climb up to the pass. After a short stop at Gongga Temple, you continue to Upper Zimei Village for the night in a local Tibetan house. From Upper Zimei Village, you will travel the day by car to Zimei Pass, where you can take photos of the spectacular view. After, you will descend to Lower Zimei Village, where you will stay in a local Tibetan house for the night. The last day of trekking takes you to Bawang Lake, or you can choose to take the car, if you are too tired. After a short trek through the woods around the lake, you will reach Jiebei Stone, and take the car to Caoke for the end of the trek.