Songge Mani Stone City in Shiqu, Ganzi, Kham, West Sichuan, Southwest China

Songge Mani Stone City is located on the Zhaxika Grassland in Shiqu County, West Sichuan. It is a boxy stone city with a history of more than one thousand years, built in the reign of King Gesar, which is full of magical colors and legends. It is about 10 meters high, 100 meters long and 100 meters wide.

There are also rows of "windows" on the city wall for statues of gods. There is a "city gate" on the front for entry and exit. After entering, there are also mani walls layer by layer, with a narrow passage in the middle, which looks like a maze. Because the rocks are too high, the ground is overwhelmed and sinking. It is said that as high as the ground is, it sinks into the ground as deep as possible. Therefore, even though people continue to put rocks on it, there is no significant increase in the stone. The most unbelievable thing is that it has no frame support or any adhesive. It is like a "tower" that people piled up at will, but it can unexpectedly stand still for thousands of years. It is truly a miracle.

According to legend, this stone mani city originated in the reign of King Gesar, and there are still many relics of that year. In order to save the souls of the soldiers who died on the battlefield, the comrade-in-arms built a mani pile here. Later, the common people came to this pilgrimage one after another because of the memory of King Gesar's deeds. The mani pile grew bigger and bigger, longer and longer, and finally the mani city was formed. Every day, many pilgrims walk around the city wall and kowtow step by step, expressing their infinite admiration and remembrance for the legendary hero King Gesar, as well as their longing for tomorrow.

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Photo by Zhang Lei