Pilgrimage to Brag dkar sprel rdzong: Presentation and translation of a pilgrimage guide

Authors

• Nazka Drolma (Zhuoma)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the pilgrimage (gnas skor) to Brag dkar sprel rdzong, a
Buddhist holy mountain (gnas ri) in a remote area of Amdo, a Tibetan area in
the present day Qinghai Province in Western China. The mountain has been
a solitary hermitage for a long time and it is still a popular pilgrimage site for
Tibetan lamas and laymen. This article presents the traditional perceptions of the
site reflected in a written text, namely a pilgrimage guide (gnas bshad). It specifically
talks about an early pilgrimage guide written by a tantric practitioner in the
early 17th century, followed by my translation of the text. My primary interest
is to investigate how such religious texts inform the worship of a mountain that
has been considered both sacred and powerful. As far as I know, the guide has not
been studied before. There is a need to study it in greater detail in order to gain a
better understanding of the texts. It also helps us understand Tibetan pilgrimage
to holy mountains better.