home » tibet

Drepung Monastery

Situated 5 kms' distance to the western suburb of Lhasa at the foot of Mt. Ganpoi Uze. Drepung Monastery was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choje, a disciple Tsongkapa, the founder of Gelugpa Sect. The Monastery occupying an area of 250,000 sq. m. with a fixed number of 7,700 monks, is the largest monastery in Tibet. The monastery keeps plentiful historical relics. Buddhist scriptures, arts and crafts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sera Monastery

Situated at 3 kms' distance to the northern suburb of lhasa. Sera Monastery was founded in 1419 by Jamchen Choje, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder of Gelugpa Sect. The monastery is erected grandly at a mountain slope with a colorful architecture. Sera Monastery together with Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery in Lhasa are known as the Three Great Monasteries of Tibet.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakya Monastery

Located in Sakya County, the monastery stood in two parts on either side of Dongchu River. This monastery is the center of the Sakyapa Sect (White Earth Order). The northern part of the monastery was built in the year 1079 and the southern part founded in 1268 by a famous abbot of Sakya named Pagpa who once had ruled the whole of Tibet under the Yuan Dynasty's supervision. The monastery has great influence over the Tibetan history and cultural development. The State Council of PRC has classified it the national level protected monument. Owing to its valuable and voluminous amount of Buddhist sutras and cultural remains, the monastery is often considered as the "Tunhuang the second".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Samye Monastery

It is the first monastery ever built in Tibet. It was founded by the Tibetan King Trisiong Detsen and belongs to the Nyingmapa and Sakyapa sects. The construction consists of three styles, namely, the Han, the Tibetan and the Indian. It is said that the monastery was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt three hundred years as the residence of the 6th Dalai Lama.. Finally it was completed by Rating Rimpoche.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ganden Monastery

Located in Taktse County 70 Kms east of Lhasa City at an altitude of 4,300m, was founded in 1409 by Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelugpa Sect, it is the earliest of the Three Great Monasteries of Tibet.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jokhang Temple

The Jokhang Temple , situated in the center of old Lhasa, was originally built in 647 AD. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet, China and Nepal thus features different architectural styles. The Jokhang is the spiritual center of Tibet and the holiest destination for all Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. In the central hall is the Jokhang's oldest and most precious object - a sitting statue of Sakyamuni. This was carried to Tibet by Princess Wen Cheng from her home in Changan in 700 AD. The three-leaves roof of the Jokhang offers splendid views of the Barkhor Street, the bustling Barkhor market, across to the Potala Palace.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tradduk Temple

It is located in Nedobng County, established by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century and belongs to the Gelugpa Sect (Order of Excellence). The main building of this temple is the Assembly Hall. The images enshrined here are all bronze and the corridors are of full of murals.