Quake in Tibet: Heritage at Risk

A severe earthquake in Tibet damaged monastic centres, impacting monks and nuns. While several religious sites were affected, local officials have not confirmed clergy casualties. The quake has highlighted ongoing tensions between Tibetan cultural preservation and Chinese governmental oversight.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 14-01-2025 10:45 IST | Created: 14-01-2025 10:45 IST
Quake in Tibet: Heritage at Risk

A devastating earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Tibet, severely damaging at least two Tibetan Buddhism monastic centers and leaving an unknown number of monks and nuns injured. State media has been sparse in reporting details about the destruction of religious sites since the quake hit last week.

The destruction includes a monastery and a nunnery located approximately 15 kilometers east of the earthquake's epicenter in Tingri county. These sites are integral to the cultural fabric of Tibet, where families often send at least one male child to monkhood. Monks serve as spiritual guides and sources of communal counsel.

Amidst the 3,600 homes reported collapsed, the full extent of damage to monasteries remains unclear, nor has there been confirmation if clergy members are among the 126 reported fatalities. Rescue missions have extracted trapped nuns from Dzongbu Temple, moving them to temporary shelters as assessments of the damage continue. Meanwhile, Chinese censorship of information raises questions about the accuracy of casualty reports.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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