Lieshan Ancient Tombs
Nestled on the southern slope of Lieshan Village, Jindong Township, Lang County, Nyingchi, amidst the mountains beside National Highway 219, lies a breathtaking archaeological wonder – the Lieshan Ancient Tombs. At an altitude of 3200 meters, 48 kilometers from Lang County, it is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient tomb complexes in Tibet. Designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2000, it is considered a "living fossil" for understanding Tubo civilization.
The scale of the tomb complex is a true spectacle of the snowy plateau. The entire complex is distributed in a fan shape along the mountainside, divided into east and west sections, covering a total area of 815,000 square meters, with 184 tombs remaining. The eastern section is the core area, containing 163 tombs, while the western section has 21, stretching for several kilometers in a magnificent display. The tombs exhibit diverse forms, primarily trapezoidal, called "Bokabu" in Tibetan, resembling an inverted Tibetan wooden bucket, but also including round, square, and pagoda-shaped styles. The earthen mounds, ranging from 7 to 14 meters in height, were not rammed and contain a network of stone walls. Despite enduring a millennium of wind and rain, they stand majestically, showcasing the architectural wisdom of the ancients.
Archaeological discoveries have revealed their profound historical significance. Carbon-14 dating places the tomb complex in the 7th to 9th centuries AD, during the Tubo period, with some tombs possibly dating even earlier. In the 1982 excavation, tomb number 79 yielded artifacts such as wooden bowls and sticks. The tomb employed a vertical shaft stone chamber structure, with staggered stonework. The orientation of the tomb entrance and the placement of the bones followed strict regulations, reflecting the unique funerary rites of the Tubo period. Experts speculate that the tomb's occupants may have belonged to the Chinmu clan, a family with a 300-year-long marital relationship with the Tubo royal family, and this site was once their ancestral burial ground.
As an important remnant of Tubo civilization, the cultural value of the ancient tomb complex is immeasurable. It not only vividly showcases the burial system and architectural techniques of the Tubo period, but also provides invaluable material evidence for the study of the political structure, aristocratic system, and ethnic migrations of the Tubo Dynasty. The burial complex, echoing the surrounding sacred mountain "Qinla," testifies to the ancient Bon religion's nature worship and ancestor belief, serving as a typical example of the fusion of religious culture and funerary customs.
Today, the Lieshan Ancient Tombs, under protection, reveal a thousand years of history to the world. Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, surrounded by majestic snow-capped peaks, winding valleys, and a picturesque landscape of farmland and forests, the pristine natural scenery and ancient cultural relics coexist harmoniously. Strolling among them, touching the weathered mounds and gazing at the scattered stones, one feels as if transported back in time, listening to the historical echoes of the ancient Tubo lands. Here, there are no bustling crowds, only the weight of history and the tranquility of nature, allowing every visitor to unravel the civilizational codes of the snowy plateau through exploration.