Located at chong Gye, the tumuli of the Tibetan kings is 30 km from Tsedang. Buried here the kings, the ministers and the royal concubines from the 29th Tuboking, to the last. It is also the only tumuli group in Tibet. From all of the tombs, the most remarkable one is King Songtsan Gampo's.

According to historical records there are five underground chambers containing statues of Songtsan Gampo, Shakyamuni and Padmasambava with great quantities of gold, silver, pears and agates as funeral objects. The coffin itself is said to have been laid in the central chamber and to its left side it is said to a suit of amour worn by Songtsan Gampo on expedition; to its right side to have laid knights and battle horses made of solid gold as the retinue of Songtsan Gampo after his demise. Buried at the head of the coffin is a coral statue of Lord Loyak Gyalo, whose function is supposed to give light to the dead king and at the foot of it is a cache of pears weighing 35 kilograms, wrapped in silk, as Songtsan Gampo's share of wealth.

Thirty third King Songtsan Gampo, moved his capital to Lhasa, then unified the whole Tibet. In order to cherish the memory of their hometown and the relatives, also ancestor Kings from the 33 on wards were buried back to Chonggye. This is main reason why the tumuli is as big as3.85 million square meters.

Tourists can take a coach from Zetang to Qonggyai County seat and then change for a taxi.

Through the 7th to 9th centuries in Tibet, southwest China, there existed a famous regime -- the Tibetan Regime. Its first ruler, King Songtsen Gambo (617-650), was an accomplished leader. Unifying all the tribes in Tibet, he made Lhasa the capital. He then developed production, created the Tibetan language, made laws, set up official and military systems, and established a Tibetan slavery system.

In order to absorb central China's advanced culture, Songtsen Gambo married Tang Dynasty's Princess Wen Cheng in 641, sent Tibetan aristocratic children to Chang'an (capital of Tang) for study, invited Han people to take charge of his official documents and letters, dispatched his people to learn central China's production techniques and technology, and otherwise promoted economic and cultural exchange between the Han and Tibetan areas.

Songtsen Gambo made great contributions to the social, economic and cultural development of the Tibetan region, to good relations between Han and Tibetan people, and to formation and development of a multi-national China.

According to such Tibetan history books as Grand Ceremonies of the Wise, Chronicle of Tibetan Kings and Officials and Chronicles of Tibetan Kings and Clansmen, there were altogether 35 tombs of Tibetan Kings and concubines, divided into groups, with each group centered in a separate area.

The largest group of known tombs was located on the Mure Mountain at the southern bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River, southwest of the Zongsam Mountain and beside the Yarlung River (today under the jurisdiction of Qongyai County in the Tibetan Autonomous Region). Surrounded by open ground and benefiting from moderate weather, rich soil, and beautiful landscape, this area with its favorable natural conditions was the birthplace of the ancient Tibetan people and the old home of the founding King, Songtsen Gambo.

After the King chose Lhasa as a capital, this area became his base to strengthen his regime and solidify his rule, and was accorded special attention. It may have been nostalgia, as well as the favorable and rich natural conditions, that decided Songtsen Gambo on this area as his burial place. Later quite a few other Tibetan kings were buried here.