Danba:
The Living Fossil of Zhangzhung Civilization
When exploring the ancient Zhangzhung Civilization—the oldest original civilization on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—Danba in western Sichuan stands as the well-preserved hub of living Zhangzhung culture.
Zhangzhung was a powerful ancient kingdom dating back to the 4th century BCE, with its original heartland in Ngari, Tibet. As the kingdom declined, its core culture and Yungdrung Bon (the indigenous Bon religion) migrated eastward, and Danba became the ultimate sanctuary for this ancient civilization to survive and thrive till today.
Unlike Ngari, which boasts historical relics of the Zhangzhung Kingdom but has lost most living cultural practices, Danba retains complete, living inheritance of Zhangzhung traditions in many aspect of local life. It is home to the densest concentration of Bon Buddhist temples in the Tibetan region, with sacred Mount Merdo as the holy mountain of Yungdrung Bon, where ancient sacrificial rituals, reverence for sacred mountains and white stones, and unique Bon religious customs are still fully preserved.
Known as the “Land of Thousands of Watchtowers”, Danba’s hundreds of ancient stone watchtowers are direct architectural relics of Zhangzhung Civilization, inheriting the unique construction techniques and totem culture of the ancient Zhangzhung people. What’s more, the local Jiarong（Gyarong）Tibetan language retains a large number of ancient Zhangzhung vocabulary, and the traditional matriarchal customs and folk dances are authentic living legacies of Zhangzhung’s social and cultural systems.
According to many documents and legends, as the ancient Zhangzhung Kingdom flourished, a royal clan known as the Qiong Family gradually migrated eastward across the Himalayan region, eventually settling in the place where now is called Danba and around. Even after the Zhangzhung Kingdom collapsed some 1,400 years ago, the Qiong Family continued to rule and evolve there, forming the renowned matriarchal kingdom of the East.
Ngari is the historical birthplace of Zhangzhung Civilization, Danba is the place where Zhangzhung culture exists as a vivid, tangible living tradition.
If you are interested in Zhangzhung Civilization or Danba, please contact our Local Researcher Sissi by email ：sissivdp@foxmail.com
or concultant us by: pandawego.info@florasay.cn
Learn more about Zhangzhung Civilization:
Archaeologist pieces together story of the mysterious Zhang Zhung people of Tibet
On the Roof of the World: Discovering the Forgotten Civilization of Zhang Zhung
