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Rare mural paintings found in ruins of ancient Tibetan temple
Published: Oct 26, 2017 04:13 PM
Archeologists have discovered mural paintings dating back 800 years among ruins of a Tibetan temple in the city of Shannan, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The paintings, including images of Buddhist deities were found in a 20-square-meter area on an interior wall of the temple.

Changpa Tsering, director of the Shannan Cultural Relic Bureau, said archeologists named the temple "Golhakhang," with "Go" from the sound of the location and "Lhakhang" meaning Buddhist temple.

Shannan in southern Tibet is generally acknowledged by archeologists as the origin of the ethnic Tibetan group and their culture.

The first palace and first monastery in Tibet are both located in the city.

Tsering said mural paintings previously found in Shannan mostly dated to after the 17th century, while the new findings were from 400 years earlier.

He said it was rare to find mural paintings from the 13th-15th centuries in Tibet. The paintings suggest artistic elements from Nepal and reflect a time when Buddhism spread to Tibet before mixing with Chinese culture.

This building design had long disappeared, and has not been found in other Tibetan temples," said Chai Huanbo from the Hunan Cultural Relic Research Institute, who is involved in the study of the new findings.