Palace of King Darub

Palace of King Darub (Tibetan: དར་ལུགས་རྒྱལ་པོའི་ཕོ་བྲང་, Daruluk Gyelpoi Podrang, Chinese: 达律王府), locally referred to as Zongkar (Tibetan: ཙོང་དཀར་, “White Palace”), is the earliest surviving royal complex in Gonjo County, Tibet. Built during the Tibetan Empire after Darub was enfeoffed as a regional king, it served as the political and religious center of eastern Kham.

History

The palace combines Tibetan fortification and Buddhist temple architecture. Its 14-meter central tower, constructed with rammed earth mixed with crushed shells for whitening, houses a 9th-century chapel containing gilt-bronze statues of Padmasambhava, Avalokiteshvara, and King Trisong Detsen. Walls feature early Tibetan frescoes depicting imperial hunting scenes and tantric mandalas.

Notable relics include:

• The Eightfold Enthronement Throne (བཀའ་བརྒྱད་ཁྲི་, Ka Gyé Tri, Chinese: 八恩巴法座), carved with snow lion motifs, used for royal consecrations.
• A sandalwood mandala (2.3m diameter) inlaid with turquoise, dedicated to Vajrakilaya rituals.
• A stone inscription (partially eroded) marking the palace's founding, referencing Emperor Trisong Detsen's military campaigns.

Listed as a Fifth-tier Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Heritage Site in 2009, the palace underwent stabilization of its southeastern wall in 2018. Access requires a permit from Qamdo's Cultural Bureau due to its fragile murals. Local festivals reenact Darub's annual tribute processions to Lhasa here every August. On October 7, 2019, the State Council announced it as the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.