** Tale of Gesar
Axu town sits across the Zhaqu River on the upper reaches of the Yarlung River, located 207 kilometers away from the county seat. Dotted with fluttering sutra streamers, it is a world of natural phenomena, with many fish inhabiting its abundant rivers and lakes.
By chance, the four researchers met the Living Buddha Bagyia at the Chacha Monastery in Dege County at a bus stop some 20 kilometers from Axu town.
Saying that he lovedKing Gesarvery much, Bagyia began to pour out everything that he had learned about Gesar.
According to local legend, Gesar was Dongzhu Zarbao, the eldest of the Heavenly King Baifan's 15 sons. He was considered the reincarnation of Master Padmasambhava, an Indian monk who spread Buddhism in Tibet. Facing the many demons, Gesar lifted the sufferers out of the abyss of misery.
In Jisuya, the researchers were told that Gesar was born on a Saturday in a yak-hair tent in Jisuya.
But others say that Gesar was actually born into a poor herder's family, and it is said the sky was covered in auspicious clouds and a rainbow when he was born. Gesar's mother, Gorsa, was laboring in the fields when she felt a sharp, sudden pain. She scrambled her way onto a large rock and gave birth to the great Gesar. She later discovered two deep footprints she made while climbing the rock.
There are other legends about the legendary Tibetan king's birthplace. One says that he was born by the Mamaoke Qu River to the south of the Bayankala Mountains on the border area of Yushu and Garze.
People there describe his birthplace in this way: "To the left of a cypress tree in a place resembling the tail of a horse; to the left of a bowl-like fountain that lies beneath a rock resembling an arrow."
Surprisingly, the area is located at the juncture of two rivers, where Gesar's mother put up her tent amid the ruins of the Sutra Hall of King Gesar. Behind the Sutra Hall is a rock that looks like an arrow, with the grasslands covering the rock resembling a piece of unfolded felt.
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