Chinese Communist authorities have bulldosed over 300 Buddhist stupas and demolished sacred statues, including one of Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and another of the venerated late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, at Lungrab Zang-ri near Janggang Monastery in Drakgo County, Karze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, part of the historic Kham province of Tibet.
The mass demolition, executed in late May or early June 2025, is among the most severe state-sponsored acts of cultural and religious destruction in recent years drawing chilling parallels with the first Cultural Revolution (1966–76) that left thousands of monasteries, scriptures, and statues in ruins across Tibet.
This time, the war is quiet no Red Guards with loud slogans, just a coldly efficient machinery of Communist repression that erases centuries of Tibetan devotion with the silence of bulldosers and the brutality of surveillance.
According to Tibetan sources, dozens of earth-moving machines, security personnel, and party officials arrived at Lungrab Zang-ri without warning. Within hours, they began rasing hundreds of whitewashed stupas, including three large chortens, built by monks and lay devotees over years. These structures, considered representations of the enlightened mind of the Buddha, were lovingly constructed with prayers, relics, and traditional craftsmanship.
Also destroyed were two highly revered statues, A newly built statue of Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, the legendary abbot and founder of Serthar Buddhist Institute, credited with leading a revival of Tibetan Buddhism in post-Cultural Revolution Tibet.
A sacred statue of Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, the 8th-century tantric master who introduced Buddhism to Tibet and is worshipped by Tibetans as a “Second Buddha.” “These were not just statues,” said a source who managed to speak under conditions of complete anonymity. “They were living symbols of our faith, our history, our very identity. And now they’re dust.”
Once the demolition was complete, all traces were cleared. The ground was flattened. The rubble was carted away. Even mobile phone signals vanished.
Chinese authorities imposed a complete communications blackout in the region. The surrounding areas were sealed. Locals were warned not to speak, photograph, or even whisper about the incident. Attempts to communicate with the outside world have been met with swift arrests under charges of “leaking state secrets.”
“It’s not just a physical destruction of structures; it’s a psychological war against Tibetan resilience,” said a researcher with access to verified information from inside the region.
The government offered a vague and cynical justification, stating that the religious structures were “built illegally on government land” and violated unspecified “land use regulations.” However, no documents, warnings, or legal notices were ever presented to the monasteries or the community. In fact, many of the demolished structures had stood peacefully for decades, some dating back several generations.
This fresh wave of destruction follows Decree No. 22, issued by the National Religious Affairs Bureau on December 1, 2024, which took effect from January 1, 2025. Under this new law, all religious institutions including centuries-old monasteries must function under direct Communist Party supervision, in accordance with Article 43 of the Monastery Management Regulations.
The regulations prohibit:
- Independent construction or renovation of stupas and statues without written CCP approval
- Display of images or prayers related to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- Congregations of religious leaders without prior surveillance clearance
- Any religious activity deemed “outside the purview of socialist values”
Effectively, Tibetan Buddhism is no longer allowed to function independently, even in remote corners of Kham.
The religious leadership in Tibet is under siege. Khenpo Tenga (བསྟན་དགའ།), a senior monk of Janggang Monastery who helped construct the destroyed stupas and statues at Lungrab Zang-ri, has been placed under surveillance confinement. He is not allowed to lead prayers, meet with followers, or travel beyond designated zones.
The persecution is nationwide. In Amdo, monks are forbidden to travel in groups larger than five, especially around the 90th birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama. Religious gatherings, even within monastery premises, are being interpreted as anti-state mobilisations.
The case of Tulku Hungkar Dorje remains one of the most shocking:
Known for resisting the government-imposed Panchen Lama, composing long-life prayers for the Dalai Lama, and promoting authentic Tibetan education, Tulku Hungkar Dorje was forced to flee to Vietnam. On March 28, 2025, he was reportedly arrested in a secret joint operation by Chinese and Vietnamese intelligence. His body was returned lifeless.
The Chinese government claims he “died in custody,” while his followers suspect torture or targeted execution. A secret funeral was conducted under heavy security. International human rights groups demanding transparency have been ignored.
Global Celebrations, Local Bans: The Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday silenced
While the global Tibetan diaspora and Buddhist communities celebrated the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama in July 2025, inside Tibet, the occasion was suffocated with fear.
Chinese authorities banned all public gatherings in Karze Prefecture and nearby counties. Anyone attempting to mark the event faced interrogation. Posters or photos of the Dalai Lama were deemed “tools of separatism.” In schools and monasteries, CCP officials conducted “re-education campaigns” branding the exiled leader as a “reactionary.”
This wasn’t merely censorship; it was an attempt to erase the spiritual heartbeat of a people. This isn’t the first time Drakgo County has seen such brutality. In November 2021, Party Secretary Wang Dongxin ordered the closure of Drakgo Gaden Namgyal Ling Monastery School, followed by:
- Demolition of two 30-foot Buddha statues
- Destruction of 45 prayer wheels
- Mass arrests of monks, including children
The scale and frequency of these acts reveal a coherent strategy not of isolated crackdowns, but a state-sponsored campaign of cultural extermination.
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