| Tholing Monastery | |
|---|---|
Tibetan transcription(s) Tibetan: མཐོ་ལྡིང་དགོན་པ Wylie transliteration: mtho lding dgon pa Other transcriptions: Toling Chinese transcription(s) Simplified: 托林寺 Pinyin: Tuolin si | |
_Roter_Tempel_Dieter_Schuh.JPG) The red temple of Tholing Monastery, built 997, surrounded by ruins. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Sect | Kadampa |
| Deity | Vairochana |
| Location | |
| Location | Tholing (Zanda), Zanda County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region |
| Country | China |
  Location within Tibet Autonomous Region  Tholing Monastery (Tibet) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 31°29′01″N 79°47′53″E / 31.48361°N 79.79806°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Rinchen Zangpo |
| Date established | 10th century |
 | |
Tholing Monastery (or Toling, mtho lding dgon pa མཐོ་ལྡིང་དགོན་པ) (Tuolin si 托林寺) is the oldest monastery (or gompa) in the Ngari Prefecture of western Tibet. It is situated in Tholing (Zanda), Zanda County, near the Indian border of Ladakh. It was built in 997 AD by Yeshe-Ö, the second King of the Guge Kingdom. In Tibetan language 'Tholing' means "hovering in the sky forever" and is reflected by the location of the monastery at an elevation of 12,400 feet (3,800 m). The complex includes three temples, the Yeshe-O Temple, the Lhakhang Karpo and the Dukhang. There are many ancient, precious, and well-preserved frescoes.