Chone Monastery was founded in 1269 by Drogon Ghogyel Phakpa and his Mongol patron, Kublai Khan or, in 1269 CE as a Sakya monastery. Chone Monastery was part of a separate kingdom formed, according to legend, after its invasion by Chinese warriors who migrated across the mountains from Szechuan conquering the local tribes in 1404. The Yongle Emperor named one of them hereditary chief, bestowing the name of "Yang" and an imperial seal upon them and the prince established a palace on the north bank of the Tao River. The Yang family, continued to rule over 48 unruly Tibetan clans in Chon-ne as a semi-independent kingdom from the early 15th century for 23 generations, until 1928, when it was placed under the control of the Lanchow government. Phakpa, who was trusted to rule Tibet by the Mongol Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan, visited the area which, until that time was mainly under the influence of the ancient Bon religion. In 1459 the monastery was converted to the Gelug sect by Choje Rinchen Lingpo. Its colleges were established in the 18th century by Kunkyen Jigme Wangpo. with the School of Dialectics being founded in 1714 and the Tantric college in 1729.
Description
The monastery is situated near a bend in the rushing, clear, Tao River surrounded by high wooded mountains, adjacent to the fairly large Chone Town which has a mixed population of Tibetans and Chinese, though the Chinese now predominate. In 1923, the village had "approximately four hundred Tibetan families and had changed very little since its founding six centuries before." Within the grounds are six large buildings – only one of which has been ruined. The Assembly Hall is in the centre with the Gyupa Dratsang is to the right and behind are the Tsenyi Dratsang, the Chora, the Taknyi Lhakhang which is dedicated to Hevajra and the Sariwa Lhakhang. The monastery was famed for its 1773 woodblock editions of the Kangyur and Tangyur, copies of which still exist though, unfortunately, the original woodblocks have been damaged beyond repair. When the monastery was visited by Janet Elliott Wulsin and her husband, Frederick Wulsin, in 1923, Chone Monastery had survived numerous earthquakes. On the main gate was an inscription composed by the Kangxi Emperor in 1710 which read: "Bestowed by Imperial Command, Temple of Tranquillity" as a favour to a local lama who had visited him in Beijing and returned with 3,000 taels of silver, which he used to erect buildings in the monastery. At one time there were 172 buildings including ten chanting halls within the monastery and 3,800 monks. By 1923 the population was only about 700. The monastery now has only about 120 monks which gives it a rather deserted atmosphere.
Festival
On the sixth day of the sixth moon the spectacular Cham-ngyon-wa, or "Old Dance," is celebrated at the monastery, representing the souls of the departed.
