type
status
date
slug
summary
tags
category
icon
password
AI summary
Zakiram / Drashi Lhamo, the most efficacious wealth goddess in Tibet, is not only sought after for wealth but also for children, peace, and healing. As long as one's wishes are benevolent, she will display her divine powers to fulfill them.
Legend has it that Zakiram / Drashi Lhamo was originally a non-human Buddhist devotee from China who followed a great master from Sera Monastery to Lhasa.
When she first arrived in Tibet, due to her beauty, she was envied by many local female spirits who poisoned her and cut off her feet. Through her divine powers, Drashi Mother forced the poison into her tongue and replaced her severed feet with chicken feet. The local female spirits could no longer harm her after that. Because of this legend, Drashi Mother's statue depicts her with bulging eyes, a black face, and a protruding poisoned tongue that cannot retract into her mouth, along with chicken feet. Perhaps because she came from outside Tibet, over time, outsiders living in Lhasa began to pray to her for protection and success, expressing their homesickness. They regarded her as the protective deity of non-local residents in Lhasa. Since most outsiders in Lhasa were merchants whose primary wishes were for business success, Zakiram / Drashi Mother gradually evolved into a special deity for seeking wealth. Tibetans preparing to travel from Lhasa to mainland China for business or study would also pray at Zakiram / Drashi monastery for her protection, as she originally came from mainland China.
After this woman followed the great master to "Zakiram / Drashi" in Lhasa, the master returned to Sera Monastery and shared their journey with the elder of the Chetsa House. The elder praised the master and agreed to build a small monastery for this woman from China. They created her statue, performed a grand "demon-subduing" ceremony, and appointed her as the local earth deity, naming her "Drashi Lhamo." However, Zakiram / Drashi Lhamo's appearance was not as beautiful as people might imagine - she had a black face, bulging angry eyes, a gaping bloody mouth, an extended tongue, and chicken claw-like hands, earning her the nickname "Chicken Claw Deity." A lamp keeper sent from Sera Monastery would accept devotees' requests and provide divination. From then on, this goddess served as the guardian deity of the Drashi area, diligently blessing local people by healing the sick, solving problems, granting children to those who sought them, and bringing wealth to those who prayed for it. Thus, Drashi Lhamo's fame spread, and pilgrims came in endless streams.
In the 1730s, when most Qing Dynasty officials stationed in Lhasa were recalled to mainland China, leaving only nine generals and 500 soldiers, they all moved to an area near Drashi monastery to avoid disturbing local residents' normal life. These homesick soldiers, hearing that Drashi Lhamo came from mainland China, frequently worshipped her to ease their homesickness and pray for their parents' well-being. Worshipping Drashi Lhamo became their daily routine. To meet the soldiers' needs and wishes, the monastery added services like drawing lots, divination, and fortune-telling. The soldiers also built a Guan Di monastery on Millstone Mountain near Drashi, asking this martial deity to bless the stationed military leaders with good fortune and invincibility in battle.
In 1793, when Gurkha troops invaded Tibet and occupied vast territories, Emperor Qianlong dispatched over ten thousand soldiers led by Fukang'an. Despite harsh conditions including high mountains, treacherous waters, and severe weather, they achieved continuous victories and ultimately defeated the Gurkha army, forcing the Gurkha kingdom to submit. The stationed troops unanimously believed their victory was due to the protection of Lord Guan and Drashi Lhamo. Upon returning to Lhasa, they renovated Drashi monastery and recast the golden statue of Lord Guan.
During the Cultural Revolution, Drashi monastery, like other religious sites in Tibet, suffered severe damage and destruction. However, since the 1980s, the monastery reopened, and the number of worshippers and incense offerings has increased daily. The monastery keeper sent from Sera Monastery is said to be able to convey the goddess's will and guarantee that devotees' wishes will be fulfilled. This news spread quickly among Lhasa citizens, along with the belief that since Drashi Lhamo came from mainland China, she particularly favors people from inland China who come for business, study, or trade, and her responses are especially efficacious. However, Drashi Lhamo has a special fondness for "alcohol," particularly Sichuan's "Tuopai Liquor." Therefore, devotees who offer a bottle of Tuopai liquor will receive her blessing for any benevolent wish.
It is said that this monastery was initially established specifically for outsiders seeking peace, but since most outsiders were merchants whose prayers were particularly effective after worshipping at Drashi monastery, it gradually became known as the Wealth God monastery. According to Tibetan tradition, Wednesday is the designated day for worship at Drashi monastery. Every Wednesday, the monastery is packed with crowds.
Drashi monastery is located on Drashi Road in the northern suburbs of Lhasa and is Tibet's only Wealth God monastery. It has very prosperous incense offerings, with Monday designated for wealth prayers, Wednesday for peace, and Friday for health. The Wealth God of Drashi monastery particularly loves alcohol. When worshipping, one can buy a bottle of liquor and bundles of wormwood and pine leaves from the small shops at the monastery entrance. If possible, bring khatas and butter (with a small spoon), and have change ready before entering to worship. The side hall of the monastery enshrines the Drashi Goddess, who, according to legend, came from mainland China and is very efficacious. Unlike other Tibetan monasterys, this monastery has many mainland Chinese or Han devotees. The monastery's divination art is also famous in Tibet. According to legend, Drashi Goddess belongs to the worldly protective deities (Tibetan Buddhism's classification of protective deities, where worldly protective deities are those who haven't left the mortal world and still need to establish merit, as opposed to "transcendent protective deities" who are rare in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, such as Tara and Yamantaka, who have transcended the suffering of samsara and are high-ranking deities. Worldly protective deities still have karmic connections with sentient beings and often transform into human form to interact with them. Drashi Goddess belongs to this category of deities and is particularly efficacious. The monastery's prosperous incense offerings are closely related to devotees' sincere faith in this goddess).
上一篇
The Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Tibetan Thangka Paintings
下一篇
The Spiritual Power and Blessing of Thangka
Loading...
