THE 740-YEAR-OLD monastery of Deng Gompa, located in the Tibetan town of Ganzi, was reportedly commissioned by Mongol emperor Kublai Khan to help spread the word of Buddhism in the former Tibetan kingdom of Kham. It still stands today, covered with murals depicting scenes of 13th-century religious devotion: life-sized Buddhist deities, pilgrims travelling to distant temples, disciples praying under trees and images from the wheel of life.
Once considered to be of little significance, Deng Gompa and its murals have been largely ignored until recently. Now, they are buzzing with attention. Maroon-clad monks carry buckets of concrete to reinforce the second floor, while illustrators touch up the murals by going over them with fluorescent paints and then topping their masterpieces with a glossy coat of varnish.
'Now they are more beautiful,' says a proud Rimpoche Kusho Shangye, who sports a brown cloak, cowboy hat, 1960s-styled sunglasses and two gold front teeth. 'We are working to preserve cultural heritage.'
The Rimpoche is head lama of another eminent monastery, the nearby Ganzi Gompa; team leader for the Deng Gompa restoration process; and a man said to be a reincarnated Buddha himself. He is also a deputy chairman for the local government, and helped build a health clinic and school for Ganzi's underprivileged. This is typical at a time when many of Kham's high lamas are entwined in Chinese politics, an arrangement that helps them assure their monasteries' survival.