The “Tripitaka” was formerly kept in an abandoned village house, before being moved to a wood-and-earth house in Gyegu Township in 1995 by Dongtsang Pomo, who is Dechong’s father.

Dechong recalled hardship and their struggles to keep the books.

“In the past, there was no electricity and people used ghee lamps,” she said. During the “Cultural Revolution” they feared that the books would be confiscated, so they slept beside them. A third of the encyclopedia was destroyed in a fire at one point.

“Many of the remaining volumes were decayed, worn out or damaged by moths,” she said.

Dechong said that the “Tripitaka” is by no means a mere classic to Tibetan people. “It is seen as a sacred text that could protect us,” she said.