The main body of the wall is 165 meters long, 3 meters high, and 2.7 meters wide. Green carved slates were piled neatly on the top of the wall. The west section of the wall has been renovated while the east section is collapsed in many parts and features an irregular form. The east section, however, boasts numerous refined carvings. According to the temple's monks, two major sutras are carved on those stones, totaling millions of Tibetan characters.

Local people have estimated that the four sections of the wall span some 330 meters in length, with a total carved Tibetan characters of more than 200 millions and a total of 30, 000 pieces of stone. A local skilled artisan told me that more than one million workers and artisans were involved in creating this huge wall.

  The Spiritual Totem of Tibetan Buddhists

There are no written records about the exact construction date of the prayer stone wall. But local monks estimated that the carving began in the mid-19th century and finished in the early 1950s.
According to the local chronicle, the third-generation abbot of the temple was in charge of the early carving work. He invited a senior monk versed in both carving and painting and selected dozens of temple monks and farmers to carve three stone sutras for the temple.

His successor was the fourth-generation abbot, also a living Buddha. It was during his reign that a massive carving campaign was launched. Thanks to his influence and close kinship with the local chieftain, he mobilized enough funding and materials for the carving work. The expansion of the wall proceeded smoothly and was finished in 30 years.

After the wall was completed, it became a Mecca of Tibetan Buddhists around the area. Pilgrims come all year long. Tibetans believe that walking around the whole wall equals reading the whole collection of Buddhist. Since the completion of the wall, no big natural disasters have taken place in Heri. Therefore, local people believe that it is the sacred soul of the carved stone wall that has brought them peace and good luck.

The carved stone wall in Heri is a magnificent cultural site consisting of valuable religious documents and unique Buddhist art. It is a precious cultural heritage of Tibetan people and even the whole Chinese nation. I wish that it would be better preserved.

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