Rome, June 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) The transformation of the Buddha statue’s grounds in Tibet into a horse-racing venue represents a deliberate rewriting of space, aimed at erasing the memory of what existed there. What was once a sacred place has been turned into a stage for recreation and spectacle.
The change is often framed as modern renewal, yet it rests on the quiet removal of the Tibetan community’s history and suppressing the voices that once safeguarded it, a report has stated.
“Drakgo County is part of historical Tibet and is today in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of China’s Sichuan Province. A news item from there would be surreal if it were not so familiar. A place that once held a towering statue of the Buddha, a site of devotion for local Tibetans, and a landmark visible for miles has now been turned into a horse-racing field,” a report in Italy-based online magazine 'Bitter Winter' detailed.
“The statue itself was removed in December 2021, part of a wave that swept through the region. The Buddha that once stood outdoors as a public object of devotion has been moved into the monastery’s Dukhang, the assembly hall where only monks and a limited number of lay visitors can see it. The statue survives, but its visibility, its function, and its meaning have been radically altered,” it added.
According to the report, the latest development marks a further stage in the campaign—extending beyond the removal of Tibetan religious culture to replacement with something else.
The large Buddha statue once stood near Ganden Rabten Namgyal Ling Monastery, but the Chinese authorities provided no explanation for its removal, which was carried out under tight restrictions.
Citing witnesses, the report stated that even recording the evidence of the event posed serious risks. The site remained vacant afterwards and has now been turned into a racetrack, reflecting a shift that is both symbolic and literal.
This was not an isolated incident, with Ganden Nangten School, which had served the local monastic community, also being closed by the Chinese authorities around the same time.
“The school was razed, and two large new buildings were erected in its place. Their purpose remains unclear, while the message is clear: Tibetan religious education is to be replaced, not repaired. In November 2021, monks were forced to destroy a large statue of Guru Rinpoche inside the monastery, a work of gold and silver more than forty feet high. The destruction was carried out under orders, and those who resisted were detained,” the Bitter Winter report noted.
Highlighting the pattern in Drakgo and across much of Tibet, the report observed that Chinese authorities no longer depend on demolition to alter the landscape. “They build. They remove. They replace. They overwrite. And in doing so, they hope that the memory of what was lost will fade,” it added.
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
This website uses cookies.
