After leading his troops into more than 100 battles King Gesar finally fell at the age of 81. This was nearly 1,000 years ago, but still today his life is revered and his passing honored among the hardy people who inhabit what remains a sparsely-populated and beautiful land. Now this reverence for a warrior king has official recognition.

Soon after a motorcade of government-backed scholars and historians made its way into the remote Axu Grassland in Dege County in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, they saw the first flaming array of cypress branches. About 300 meters on there was another, then another and another. The outlanders came for the First International "Meeting at the Home of Gesar" Forum, and it was for this reason the roadside guideposts burned, a high-honor greeting offered by the people of this Tibetan land.

As the minivans made their way through the territory, entire families welcomed them, waving hadas (silks symbolizing good fortune) and calling out the Tibetan salutation, "Tashi Delak!" At other points the scholars disembarked vehicles as ensembles of lamas blew their long horns and a collective resonance echoed out over the plains.

Closer to Axu, having traveled out about 90 kilometers from their homes, a troop of honorary cavalry flying banners and adorned with silk flowers joined with the motorcade, galloping alongside in escort. For the long-distance riders and local residents, the scholars were deemed worthy of this privileged welcome because they came to honor and (possibly promote) their revered King Gesar.

Now a written volume longer than any other Homer-like epic, "The Life of King Gesar" is a 1000-year-old fact-based Tibetan tale first passed down as an oral literary work. The hard-copy narrative comprises more than 120 sections, one million verses and more than 20 million words.

Based on the historical path cut by a remarkable man, the mythically embellished work chronicles the life and times of King Gesar as he heroically overcomes all challenges, crusades for justice, subdues demons, aids the needy, delivers light from darkness and brings piece to his Tibetan people.

Today, genuine historical relics from the time of King Gesar can be found in almost every township in Dege County. Thirty-three of Dege's administrative areas are associated with Gesar and almost all of the 57 lamaseries around the county collect cultural relics, many directly associated with his reign.

The sites and artifacts were on the scholars' agenda along with honoring the king with the planting of rows of Chinese fir in the newly established King Gesar Ecological Forest. They also laid a foundation for a statue of the royal warrior.


Perhaps the high point of the expedition was a visit to the Memorial Hall of King Gesar, the construction of which was financed by Baja; a senior lama designated a "Living Buddha" by his people. Within the hall is an oversized statue emphasizing the imposing bearing of the king, as well as cultural relics dating back to his time, such as plated helmets, arrowheads and sword sheaths.

Ceremonies and celebrations took place against a backdrop of the magnificent Axu Grasslands; a terrain changed relatively little since the armored king charged into battle brandishing sword and lance. The King's homeland, an expanse of more than 800 square kilometers (309 square miles), remains a tranquil and unspoiled place.

Source: China Pictorial
Text and photographs by Chen Guo and Li Xiaoji