Dzong Monastery
Little is known about the history of Dzong Chode Shedup Choephel Ling Monastery, also known as Dzong Monastery, in Lower Mustang. The monastery is set within the ruins of a castle, the origins of which can be traced back to at least the fifteenth century, when a noble family from Upper Mustang was sent to this area to administer it.
The main temple is certainly more recent and probably dates to the late seventeenth century. At that time, an earthquake caused the castle to collapse, resulting in the death of its owner. This ruler was one of the sponsors of Gönpa Gang in Chukzang, which was completed in the 1680s.
The main temple is certainly more recent and probably dates to the late seventeenth century. At that time, an earthquake caused the castle to collapse, resulting in the death of its owner. This ruler was one of the sponsors of Gönpa Gang in Chukzang, which was completed in the 1680s.
Location
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The village of Dzong, now more commonly spelled Jhong, lies in the side valley of Lower Mustang, which also houses the pilgrimage site of Muktinath. The monastery sits atop a prominent hill south of the village, within the ruins of the former castle. Jharkot, on the other side of the valley, was the other royal seat of Lower Mustang.
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The Temple
The main temple of Dzong Monastery is two-storeyed and has an eight-pillared assembly hall on the ground floor. Its architecture has been restored in recent years with funding from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation. The veranda, the assembly hall, and a painted offering room preserve murals from different periods. Dzong also houses a major collection of portable heritage, which was documented in 2019.
Its Murals
The original murals in the assembly hall compare well with those in Gönpa Gang, supporting a late 17th-century date. Subsequently, the monument and its murals were restored multiple times, as is apparent from both the architecture and the different paint layers in the assembly hall.
The murals feature large central deities surrounded by a dense array of secondary figures. In some sections, the original paint layer is preserved. Most main figures have been repainted over time, likely following the original. Overall, the murals of the assembly hall are a patchwork of paint layers applied during several historical renovations. There are also minor sections where the murals have been lost altogether. These were repainted during the restoration.
The four images below show one main deity for each wall, starting with the left-hand wall and continuing clockwise. They depict Ṣaḍakṣara Lokeśvara, Vairocana, Amoghasiddhi, and Pañjara Mahākāla. They were photographed in spring 2025 after their cleaning.
The murals feature large central deities surrounded by a dense array of secondary figures. In some sections, the original paint layer is preserved. Most main figures have been repainted over time, likely following the original. Overall, the murals of the assembly hall are a patchwork of paint layers applied during several historical renovations. There are also minor sections where the murals have been lost altogether. These were repainted during the restoration.
The four images below show one main deity for each wall, starting with the left-hand wall and continuing clockwise. They depict Ṣaḍakṣara Lokeśvara, Vairocana, Amoghasiddhi, and Pañjara Mahākāla. They were photographed in spring 2025 after their cleaning.
Its Collection
Dzong Monastery also preserves a substantial collection of ancient books and sculptures that were documented in 2019 and 2021. Below is the final page of a Śatasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā with illuminations of Sadāprarudita’s search for the Perfection of Wisdom and a donor depiction.
