Ruin of Gyama Palace
Birthplace of Songtsan Gampo
Ruin of Gyama Palace is located in the southwest of Maizhokunggar County, adjacent to Samye District in Shannan Prefecture, and 73 kilometers to the west of Lhasa. As early as during the Tubo Kingdom, it was the center of political activity for royal ministers. From the map, it can be clearly seen that the south of it is the Tsetang area where the Yarlung tribe was located in, but there is a barrier formed by the high mountains and lofty hills of Gangdise Range. In the 6th century AD, Namri Songtsen who is Songtsen Gampo’s father, crossed the barrier of the north of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and arrived in Maizhokunggar. He merged with the Suebi tribes at the north of Lhasa, and he lived in Maizhokunggar temporarily, his son Songtsen Gampo was born in Gyama Palace of Maizhokunggar County. From the end of the 6th century, the Tubo Kingdom moved to Lhasa from here. In 1640, Gushri Khan, the leader of the Mongolian aristocracy, entered Tibet, and the khri dpan (Wan Hu Zhang) of Gyama Chikang to meet with him on the battlefield. Many ancient buildings were burned and destroyed. The current castle is also quite old, has a history of more than 700 years. There are countless archery holes on the wall, and trapped horse pits outside the gate, reminiscent of the ancient battlefield filled with smoke.