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Chapter 04
Archaeological Studies
ras-pa (1040-1123 CE) for meditation. Cave of the Letter A is now in a state of disrepair.
Fig. 7: The interior of Cave of the Letter A (A-Phuk)
This archaic site now carries the name of a well-known lama, Zhabs-dkar-potshogs-drug rang-grol (1781-1851 CE). Evidently, this adept occupied just one subterranean cave at the site. Nevertheless, in ancient times, the so-called Zhabs-dkar Meditation Cave hosted a large residential complex. The main edifice measured 11.5 m (north-south) x 26 m (east-west). There are also smaller ruined residential complexes at Zhabs-dkar Meditation Cave.
Fig. 8: A view of the main edifice of Zhabs-dkar Meditation Cave (Zhabs-dkarsgrub-Phuk)
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The pre-Buddhist archaeological sites around Mount Kailash
