Subashi monastery, (near) Kuqa, Xinjiang, CN

Raw data

"Subashi Ruins, are located 23 kilometers (about 14 miles) northwest of Kuqa County, Xinjiang Province.
The Subashi Ruins occupy a relatively large area, divided by Kuqa River into eastern and western areas. The eastern area is over 530 meters (about 580 yards) long and over 140 meters (about 153 yards) wide and the western area is over 680 meters (about 744 yards) long and 170 meters (about 186 yards) wide. The extent of the ruins reflects the temple’s past brilliance.

Subashi Temple witnessed the development and the height of splendor of Buddhism in this land. The temple was built in the first century and reached its peak during the sixth to the eighth centuries in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), on passing by on his way to India to obtain Buddhist sutra, the hierarch Xuanzang was so impressed by the splendor of the temple and the popularity of Buddhism in this area that he stayed for more than 2 months. During later years, the temple had over 10 thousand monks and many hierarchs came from the interior of China to promote and develop Buddhism. Unfortunately, wars of the ninth century destroyed the temple, and it never recovered. It was finally abandoned in the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries when Islam was introduced to Xinjiang and began to prevail. "
http://www.chinatouronline.com/china-travel/kuqa/kuqa-attractions/Subashi-Ruins_678.html

"A woman of Mongoloid physical type and very delicate features, found buried in a Buddhist stupa near Subeshi (in Kucha district), has been claimed to have stood 1.9 m (6 ft 4 in) tall."
Src: Anonymous (2010)

"The Site of Subashi Buddhist Temple
         The site is located on the ridges on both sides of Kucha River and 23 kilometers tto the north of Kucha City . “Subashi” means “headwater of a river”. The site got its name from the geographical position. It is composed of two parts divided by the river. With a lot of ruins of stupas, temples and grottoes from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the end of the T`ang Dynasty, the site is the biggest site of Buddhist temples in Xinjiang. It is also believed to be the site of the Queli Temple (Zhaoguli Temple) of Qiuci, and Buddhist clay statues, murals, documents in Qiuci, Chinese and Uighurian characters, coins of the T`ang Dynasty, Persian silver coins and wooden reliquary with figures of singing and dancing."
http://www.china-silkroad-travel.com/CompanyUpgrade.php?CompanyUpgradebigtype=BxEAbgB/BXoEdVYQUSMPa1ZlADQ=&CompanyUpgradesmalltype=BxMHawJ6AXJSJQVPVCYLZVZpCzs=

Input by: tmciolek, Dec 16, 2010

Final data (and their sources)

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Subashi monastery, CN.

General location of the Subashi monastery, CN.
Lat 41.783565 Long 82.980750
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2010.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.783565+82.980750+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Subashi%20monastery,%20CN)&ll=41.783565,82.980750&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en

Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Subashi monastery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • China:Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

  • Subaši temple - Barat (n.d.)
  • Subeshi stupa - Anonymous (2010).

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx. Lat 41.783565 Long 82.980750 - Monastery's locaction is estimated from a position of a "panoramio" image of the temple's ruin in maps.google.com/maps - tmciolek, 16 Dec 2010.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

[missing data]

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village

7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

8. The settlement's coordinates

9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

[missing data]

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

[missing data]

11. Date-early

12. Date-intermediate

13. Date-late

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

[missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Pilgrimage account, archaeological

16. Additional notes

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

[missing data]

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Page tags: 200m central-asia china mahayana mapped s spot stupa western-china xuanzang
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