Triloknāth Guidebook

Triloknāth Guidebook

Note: Trilokīnātha may be the more precise transcription of the current Hindi name.

Source:  This is my own reading[1] of the work transcribed in Johannes Schubert, “Der tibetische Māhātmya des Wallfahrtsplatzes Triloknāth,” Artibus Asiae, vol. 5, no. 1 (1935), pp. 76-78.  The German translation may be found in the same author's subsequent article:  Johannes Schubert, “Der tibetische Māhātmya des Wallfahrtsplatzes Triloknāth (Fortsetzung und Schluß),” Artibus Asiae, vol. 5, nos 2-4 (1935), pp. 127-136.

The author's name appears to be supplied in the text in the form Orgyan Lhundrub Gyatso (O-rgyan-lhun-grub-rgya-mtsho).  It seems likely this would be the same person by this name whose life is studied on the basis of three manuscripts by Klaus-Dieter Mathes.[2]  He was born in 1658 in Manang in northern Nepal.  Although there doesn't seem to be mention of any visits to Himachal region, he did travel a great deal, so it is possible he had some connections with Chamba. If this identification is correct (and it does require further investigation), our text must have been written in around 1700 CE.

(Ia) ras 'phags 'phags pa'i gnas bshad dang mngon rtogs bcas bzhugs so ||

(Ib) Na mo gu ru |

ras 'phags 'phags pa'i gnas bshad cung zad bshad pa ni | sngon sangs rgyas thams cad bka' bgros mdzad skabs su ||  zhi rgyas dbang drag gi 'dul bya so sor khyad par mdzad tshe |  de yang |  ras 'phags ma sngon phu cig la mtsho yod pa'i bskyil na | lo mang po'i bar du bzhugs shing | dus res shig brdzi bo las dag pa gcig ra lug 'tsho ru song ba'i tshe | ra la (IIa) 'o ma grong mi 'tsho'i bzhos pa 'o ma ma byung bas |  grong mi rnams na re ra brdzi khyod kyis ra yi 'o ma bzhos 'dug pa | ci la bzhos pa yin zer |

de yi tshe ra brdzi bsam pa la | ra yi 'o ma nga yi ma bzhos ci yin bsam pa la | nyin gcig ra rnams phar btangs nas | lkog 'jabs byas nas bltas pa | ra rnams mtsho 'grams du sleb pa'i tshe | 'o ma'i mtsho'i (IIb) nang nas mi dkar po bdun 'thon te | ra thams cad kyi 'o ma 'thungs pa mthong nas rgyugs song ba dang | mi dkar po phyag drug byas pa gcig mtsho 'gram na bzugs 'dug | gzhan thams cad mtsho nang du thim son | ra brdzi na re nga yi ra yi 'o ma ci la 'thungs pa yin zhus pa dang | 'phags pa'i zhal nas ra yi 'o ma 'thungs pa mi rtog | da 'khur te mchis | mi yis 'ur sgra che chung sna tshogs ji ltar byung (IIIa) yan | phyi mig ma blta bar gang mgyogs mgyogs 'gro cig gsungs nas | de bzhin byas nas yong yongs pa khyis sgra 'ur sgra bsam gyis mi khyab pa'i sgra byung ba dang | 'jigs te phar log nas bltas pa dan | 'phags pa'i sku mched kun rjes la mnar ra rar bskyod pa mthong tshe | rten 'brel ma 'grig pa phar log nas bskyod | de'i tshe chu yi pha rol kyi lam la dug sbrul gyis (IIIb) lam bcad de mi yongs tshad zos nas 'gros med pa la | 'phags pa bzhugs pa'i 'o ma'i mtsho rdol song ba | dug sbrul pha bon la thim song ba dang da lta lam gong la kun gyi mthong ba'i sa na yod do ||

da lta yang chu de 'o ma ltar 'babs pa yod do ||

de'i tshe ra brdzi las dag des 'phags pa spyan ras gzigs 'gro ba'i mgon po rgyab tu gdan zhus yongs pas | mi ma yin rnams kyis skad cig de nyid la pho brang (IVa) brang gi thog dang rtsig pa dang | ka ba dang ka gzhu dang | sgo g.yas g.yon | ya them ma them | bzhugs khri dang bcas pa nyi ma gcig la grub pa yin no ||

rab gnas kyang mdzad ma dgos pa rang bzhin lhun gyis grub pa'o ||

de lta bu'i gnas khyad par can rang 'byon 'di nyid ni | sangs rgyas thams cad 'dus pa'i zhing sa yin pa'i spyir [~phyir] sems can thams cad kyi skyabs mgon (IVb) dam pa | khyad par la mon gyi kha mnon du bzhugs pa dang | yang dgos su rgya bod mon gsum gyi las can rnams | sgrib pa byang phyir sangs rgyas lha sa'i jo bo dang zhal sprod du bzhugs shing | ye shes kyi rlung nge gnyis bar la rgyun chad med par rgyu | res zhig nyung ti'i dmag gis gdan drangs nas | gar zha la sleb tshe sus kyang dgul mi khyud pa cig tu song ste | dmag kun gyi gri rgyab pa da lta yang brla sha (Va) la rma sngo khyug ge yod pa'o ||

de lta bu'i sangs rgyas kyi sku sha rdo ka ma ru las grub pa yin | smon lam ci btab 'phral du grub par the tshom med do ||

gzhan la dar lcog brgya rtsa gtsugs pa dang | gnas 'dir dar lcog gcig gtsugs pa dang 'dra | gzhan la tshogs 'khor brgya bskor ba bas | gnas 'dir tshogs 'khor gcig bskor ba dang 'dra | gzhan du lo gcig sgrub pa bas | gnas 'dir (Vb) zhal gsum grub pa myur | 'di ni ri bo po ta la dang mnyam mo ||

de lta bu'i 'phags pa spyan ras gzigs kyi mngon rtogs ni |

hri: mdangs la po ta la yi zhing ||

padma nyi ma nyi zla'i gdan steng na ||

'gro ba'i mgon po 'phags pa spyan ras gzigs ||

zhabs gnyis brkyang skum gar stabs bzhugs ||

sems can don la bzhengs pa'i rtags ||

g.yas pa shel 'phreng thugs kar bsnams ||

'gro ba ma lus 'dren pa'i (IVa) rtags ||

bar pa sdig mdzub mkha' la btang ||

lha srin sde brgyad bran khol rtags ||

tha ma mchog sbyin phyag rgya mdzad ||

'gro drug sgrib pa sbyongs pa'i rtags ||

g.yon gyi dang pos sbrul nyags bsnams ||

nyon mongs dug gsum gcod pa'i rtags ||

bar pa byang chub shing chen bsnams ||

snying rje rgyun chad med pa'i rtags ||

tha ma spyi blugs bum 'pa 'dzin ||

dgos' 'dod re ba bskong ba'i rtags || (VIb)

sku mdog dkar la 'od zer 'phros ||

khams gsum sems can sgrol ba'i rtags ||

spyi gtsug snang ba mtha' yas bzhugs ||

tshe dang bsod nams rgyas pa'i rtags ||

spyan ras gzigs la phyag 'tshal bstod ||

oṃ ma ṇi padme hūṃ |

bdag sogs sems can thams cad kyi 'di phyi gnyis ka la bral ba med par byin gyis rlobs ||

rang sems stong par ngo 'phrod nas || (VIIa)

'ja' lus chos kyi sku grub nas ||

'phags pa khyed dang dbyer med shog ||

oṃ ma ṇi padme hūṃ |

ci mang 'don ces 'khrungs rab dang ||

rgyun (3) 'khyer mngon rtogs 'di dus mtha'i ||

o rgyan lhun grub rgya mtshos bdag gzhan kun la phan phyir mdzad do ||

skal ldan rnams kyi mngon rtogs 'di ma chag pa byas te | ma ṇi gdon na phan yon bsam gyis mi khyab bo ||

de lta bu'i (VIIb) gnas kyi mtshan nyid ni | phu na sku yi gnas chen dril bu ri bde mchog gi pho brang bar du gsung gi [g]nas 'phags pa rin po che | mdo ru thugs kyi gnas mar 'gul thang[3] | rdo rje phag mo phyag drug pa bzhugs | gnas de gsum gyi nang nas 'phags pa rin po che ni 'gran zla med pa yin no ||

'phags pa'i sku mdog sna tshogs nyi ma re la ston zhing | dus rgyun dkar la mtshan pa | mdangs dang ldan (VIIIa) zhing 'dzum dpag ldan pa bzhugs so ||

de lta bu'i gnas khyad par can 'dir | smon lam gang btab 'phral du grub pa yod do ||

des na smon lam ma log pa pha ma sems can gyi don du sems skyed rgya che thog smon lam 'debs dgos so ||

phyag mchod bskor ba mang du byas na | tshe 'di bar chad sel zhing phyi ma byang chub thob par gsungs so ||

rab 'byung bco lnga'i shing sbrul la ||

mi dbang 'chi med zla ba yis ||  (VIIIb)

yon sbyar par brkos don grub dang ||

yig bris lha tho mi pan [mi pham?] nas ||

bsgrubs pa'i don ldan grub rgyur cig[4]  || || 

bkra shis  ||

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Internet searches came up with nothing about this Tibetan text (correction: in Dec. 2023 two copies were locatable through BDRC database, only one of them with a scanned version). However, here are some works devoted to the place that I will list below.  There are now quite a number of guidebooks to the area that have not been noted here, and there are some important general works about Chamba that are also excluded.  One nicely produced photo album is this one: The Temples of Himachal, Eicher Goodearth (New Delhi 2007).  And for cultural history, I believe there is nothing better (or more expensive) than Mahesh Sharma, Western Himalayan Temple Records: State, Pilgrimage, Ritual and Legality in Chamba, Brill (Leiden 2009), in 400 pages.

Diana Cousens, Fire and Stone: The Self-Arising Images of Jawalamukhi and Triloknath.  Paper listed to be given at Beijing 6th International Conference (2016).

——, How Avalokitesvara Appeared in Lahul: The Statue of Triloknath.  Paper given at the 13th IATS (Ulan Bator 2013).

——, Mapping the Buddhist Sacred Status of Triloknâth.  IN: A.A. Di Castro & David Templeman, eds., Asian Horizons, Monash University (Melbourne 2015) 247-268.

——, Multiculturalism on the Tibetan Border: The Temple of Triloknâth in Lahul.  IN: David Templeman, ed., New Views of Tibetan Culture, Monash University Press (Caulfield 2010) 53-77.

——, Triloknâth: A Study of the Religious World Surrounding the Temple of Triloknâth in Lahul, Northern India, in Particular Its Self-arising (rang byung) Statue and the Veneration of Self-Arising Sacred Objects in Tibetan Buddhism.  PhD dissertation, Monash Univ. (Melbourne 2008).

Erwin Grötzbach, Hindu-Heiligtümer als Pilgerziele im Hochhimalaya [Hindu Shrines as Pilgrim Destinations in the High Himalayas].  Erdkunde, vol. 48, no. 3 (July 1994), pp. 181-193. Interesting, although not much specifically about Triloknath.

Gerald Kozicz, Triloknath Revisited: Recent Results from Field Research.  EMSCAT, vol. 51 (2020), pp. 1-29.

T. S. Maxwell, Lakhmandal and Trilokinath, the Transformed Functions of Hindu Architecture in Two Cross-Cultural Zones of the Western Himalaya.  Art International, vol. 24, nos. 1-2 (1980), pp. 9-74.

Francesco Noci, Observations on the Architecture and on a Carved Wooden Door of the Temple of Mirkulā Devī at Udaipur, Himachal Pradesh.  East & West, vol. 44, no. 1 (March 1994), pp. 99-114.

Laxman S. Thakur, The Architectural Heritage of Himachal Pradesh, pp. 57-58, with plates XXXVII-XXXVIII.

Jean Ph. Vogel, Triloknāth.  Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. 71, no. 1 (1902), pp. 35-41.  The same thing under the same title may be published in Acta Orientalia, vol. 1.  Perhaps there is also something in his book, Antiquities of Chamba State (1911), but I have no way of checking at the moment.

Verena Widorn & Michaela Kinberger, Mapping the Sacred Landscape of Lahaul: The Karzha Khandroling Mandala.  Cartography and Art, Part 5 (2009), pp. 1-12.  Not seen.

Verena Widorn & Gerald Kozicz, The Temple of Triloknath: A Buddhist Nāgara Temple in Lahul.  South Asian Studies, vol. 28, no. 1 (2012), pp. 15-35.

Laura Yerekesheva, Syncretism of Religious Beliefs in Western Himalayas's Lahoul.  South Asia Chronicle, vol. 9 (2019), pp. 83-119. 

[1] No guarantees for its correctness; in any case I have no access to the original text apart from what Schubert provided.

[2] The High Mountain Valley of Nar (Manang) in the 17th Century according to Two Tibetan Autobiographies, Journal of the Nepal Research Centre, vol. 12 (2001), pp. 167-194 (including map and illustrations).

[3] i.e. Markula; Mirkulā is old name of Udaipur before 18th century, sometimes appearing as Mar skul in Tibetan.

[4] To translate, “May this work accomplished in the Wood Snake year of the fifteenth Jovian cycle [i.e., in 1905] by Don-grub, the block carver, and Lha-tho Mi-pham the scribe with the donations by the headman 'Chi-med-zla-ba turn out to be meaningful.”  I couldn‘t identify any of these persons.  The date is the date of the woodblock carving, and is hardly any clue about the date of composition.