Tibetpedia

Tag: Monastery

  • Zö ( Hezuo)

    Zö ( Hezuo)

    A lot Packed into Two Letters

    Zö (གཙོས་) means “antelope” in Tibetan. It also signifies the city of Zö (or Hezuo in Chinese). As the capitol of Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, Zö is naturally the economic, political, educational, and cultural center of the prefecture. Zö lies on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau at an average elevation of 3,000 meters. In 2015, its population was 90,000 people and it represented 24 ethnic groups. The vast majority of residents, however, are Tibetan.

    Good lodging and great dining are easy to find in Zö. Want good entertainment? You’re in luck. Zö is home to the largest Tibetan opera theater in Gannan Prefecture. If you want to see professionals dance and sing in traditional Tibetan performances, make sure you go to the opera in town. It is open nightly, except in the winter season. Remarkably, the opera troupe from Zo performed in Israel in December 2017.

    Gannan Breakdown

    Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture was founded in 1953 with seven counties and one city. Those counties are Lintan county ( Tibetan:ལིན་ཐན་རྫོང་།, Chinese:临潭县), Jonê county ( Tibetan:ཅོ་ནེ་རྫོང་།  Chinese: 卓尼县, Luqu county ( Tibetan:ཀླུ་ཆུ་རྫོང་། Chinese: Luqu 碌曲县), Maqu county ( Tibetan:རྨ་ཆུ་རྫོང་།, Chinese: 玛曲县), Tewo county( Tibetan: ཐེ་བོ་རྫོང་། Chinese: 迭部县)，Zhouqu county ( Tibetan: འབྲུག་ཆུ་རྫོང་། Chinese: 舟曲县), and Xiahe county ( Tibetan: བསང་ཆུ་རྫོང་། Chinese:夏河县) with Hezuo (Zö གཙོས་གྲོང་ཁྱེར) being the city. 

    Zö – Hezuo Century Square

    Right in the middle of the city, as in many other Chinese places, is a town square. Hezuo Century Square was built in 2000 and has become the cultural and communal heart of the city. People gather there in the morning for exercise. Local shows and other forms of entertainment pop up in the square from time to time. Most importantly, every evening at 7:00 pm people of all ages come to the square to dance the traditional Tibetan circle dance. Anyone can jump in.

    Milarepa Fame

    The famous Milarepa Temple towers above the main road toward Xiahe, about two kilometers from the bus station. Milarepa lived in the twelfth century and stands out among Tibet’s most famous Buddhist teachers (of the Kagyu tradition). The temple in his name was built in 1777. It was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but was rebuilt in 1988. Each of its nine floors displays many varieties of Buddhist statues, deities, and scriptures. Local Tibetans circumambulate the temple daily.

    Gansu Normal University for Nationalities is located in southwest Zo, about two kilometers from the center of the city. Founded in 1984, the university is renowned for its beauty. Presently, there are over 10,000 students and 700 faculty.

  • Pelyul County

    Pelyul County

    Pelyul County (or Pelyul- དཔལ་ཡུལ་རྫོང་།) is located in Kham Tibet and is one of eighteen counties of Ganzi Autonomous prefecture in Western Sichuan Province. In Tibetan, Pelyul means “a holy and happy place.” Pelyul is on the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region and is roughly 3,000 meters above sea level. There are over 50,000 people here with 94% being Tibetan and the rest are Han Chinese and other ethnic minorities.

    Getting to Pelyul

    Traveling to Pelyul from Chengdu is very doable with a little bit of patience. It’s roughly a 900km journey and takes around 18 hours by bus. A new highway from Ya’an to Luding is now open to private vehicles and will be available to public bus traffic in June of 2018. This cuts at least four hours off the journey, making the total ride possible in one day. This is still not recommended though, as it is always best to ascend elevation slowly with regular periods of acclimatization. We suggest spending at least a night or two in Kangding on the way up.

    Well Worth the Trip

    The landscape and scenery are so worth the trip: nomadic grassland, glaciated peaks, deep river valleys, stunning mountain lakes, diverse Tibetan architecture, and the unique culture. Pelyul is only 97 kilometers (a 2 hour drive) south of Dege. Dege is the center of culture, art and medicine in Kham area. It’s one of the best places to experience Tibetan religious culture and learn Kham Tibetan history.

    Sights to See around Pelyul

    You can easily spend two to three days in Pelyul visiting monasteries and nunneries. Pelyul and Katok Monasteries are one of the three biggest Nyingma-tradition monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kham Tibetan region. Pelyul monastery was founded in 1665 by Kuchen Sherab in Pelyul County. After Pedma Norbu Rinpoche’s death, Karma Kuchen Rinpoche became the monastery’s twelfth leader. The monastery is located in a hillside above the county town and is within walking distance. From the monastery you can get the whole view of the town.

    Katok Monastery was founded by Katok Dampa Deshek in 1159. It’s located on a hillside in a town called Horpo 51 kilometers away from Peyul county. It has a nearly 850 year history and the greatest scholars in Tibet have come out of Katok. Katok is a must-see if you want to dive deep into the history of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

    Yarchen Monastery was founded by Achuk Rinpoche in 1985. It lies in an isolated valley 4000 meters above sea level. The monastery is associated with the Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s the largest concentration of nuns and monks in the world. Nuns drastically outnumber the monks, so much so that Yarchen is also known as “The City of Nuns.” The place is covered with thousands of small huts where nuns do their meditation. Yarchen is an amazing place to learn about Tibetan Buddhist nun’s lifestyle and religious customs. Yarchen is between Pelyul County and Ganzi County, roughly equidistant from both. Traveling from either Pelyul or Ganzi to Yarchen takes about three hours by private vehicle.

  • TurJe Chen Po (Guanyin Temple)

    TurJe Chen Po (Guanyin Temple)

    Located in the Jinchuan County of the Rgyalrong Tibetan Region, one will find the TurJe Chen Po(ཁྲོ་སྐྱབས་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ།). Known in Chinese as Guanyin Temple（观音庙）, this is the most pilgrimaged site in Amdo Tibet. The monastery is located at the top of Guanyin Mountain, and overlooks the Checen River as it flows through Guanyin Town.

    History of the Guanyin Temple

    In the 7th century A.D. Rgyalrong Tibetan Region there were 18 Tusi Kings. At this time, the Guanyin Temple originally belonged to the Tshoscap King. Now the monastery is run by the Checen (Jinchuan) sect instead.

    In recent years the monastery has been renovated and expanded upon. At the monastery today, one will find Guanyin Temple, Lotus Hall (all three layers of it), a restaurant, a bookstore, and more. The road up the side of the mountain has also recently been widened and repaved, making the journey a little less hair-raising for guests.

    Every year, people come from Amdo, Kham, and sometimes even Lhasa to visit the Guanyin Temple. For some, this is a pilgrimage that begins in their hometown and ends at the monastery, and for those particularly devoted, it will include full body prostrations the entire way. In the Tibetan Buddhist’s mind, it is held with almost the same regard as Lhasa’s famous pilgrimage site, and therefore is commonly known as “the Second Potala Palace”. (Tagong Monastery is also held with similar regard.)

    The peak season for Guanyin Temple is in the winter when the locals have the time to make the pilgrimage. It is during the Spring Festival (which is actually held at the end of winter) that the monastery tends to see some of its largest crowds.

    Inside Guanyin Temple (TuJa Chan Po)
    Outside Guanyin Temple (Thurje Chen po)

    Getting There

    Guests traveling from Maerkang to the temple can take the bus to the town of Guanyin, before making their way up the mountain to the monastery. The bus between Maerkang and Guanyin town takes approximately two hours leaving Maerkang at 7:00am, and returning from Guanyin at 3:00pm (current at the time of writing).

    Once in Guanyin town, travellers have two options of actually reaching the top of Guanyin Mountain. If you choose to walk it, there are stairs leading up the mountain which cut out some of the winding back and forth that the road takes. Alternatively, from Guanyin Town, it is relatively cheap and easy to rent a car to take you up the mountain (and again back down).

    Beautiful View from Guanyin Temple (TuJa Chan Po)
    Beautiful View from Guanyin Temple (TurJe Chen Po)

    Visiting

    When you have arrived at Guanyin Monastery, guests may respectfully participate in the religious activities if they choose. If you enter Guanyin Temple, you will be asked to remove your shoes, but Lotus Hall does not require this. There is no entrance fee for the monastery, although you will see donations inside at the altars. Feel free to take photos outside of the stunning valley, or the ornate architecture, but respect that inside the buildings others are there to worship.

    Besides this aspect, guests enjoy the view from the monastery of the luscious green valley below. The trip to the top of the mountain is worth it for the breath-taking view alone! Standing on the platform down the stairs directly across from Guanyin Temple, play a little game of eye-spy to find the elephant shaped mountain or the giant prayer wheel in the midst of town.

    A stupa in Guanyin Temple (TuJa Chan Po)
    A stupa in Guanyin Temple (TurJe Chen Po)

    If you get hungry, at the bottom of the stairs to the right there is another staircase leading down to a restaurant that is reasonably priced. There is a bookstore located just past the temple if you are looking for something to remember your visit by, however, English books are in short supply.

     

  • Lhasa

    Lhasa

    Lhasa (ལྷ་ས་) has been considered the capital of the Tibetan peoples since as early as the 7th century. After conquering several surrounding kingdoms and two significant political marriages with Chinese and Nepali princesses, Songtsan Gampo became the first leader of a unified Tibetan Empire. He began construction on a palace which formed the foundation and determined the design of the current Potala Palace. In 641, he built the Jokhang Temple to house a treasured gold statue of Siddartha Guattama dating back to the Buddha’s lifetime.

    jokhang_temple_lhasa
    Pilgrims visit Lhasa from all corners of Tibet to worship at the Jokhang Temple

    Modern day Lhasa is interesting in and of itself. Though there is a larger Chinese population in the city than Tibetans these days, they have predominatly settled on the Western side of the city. The Central and Eastern parts of town are where you will find the majority of the Tibetan population and all of the significant cultural sights.

    When traveling to Lhasa, there are a few things to remember. Due to it’s location within the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), you will need both a Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) and a Chinese Visa to enter Lhasa as a foreign traveler. Once you arrive, especially if you have come by air, it is important to remember that with such a dramatic change in elevation every traveler will experience at least minor discomfort. This includes minor headaches, disturbed sleep, lack of appetite, and sometimes minor dizziness, so take things easy for the first couple of days. The body naturally adjusts within two to three days, although some find themselves fine after the first day, but watch yourself and your traveling companions for  elevation related symptoms. While the vast majority of people will be fine after two or three days, in serious cases medical evacuation may be neccessary, so don’t take this too lightly.

    lhasa_from_drepung
    Drepung monastery sits on the north side of town with a beautiful view of the Lhasa valley

     

    Lhasa (or Lasa (拉萨) in Mandarin) is home to many cultural relics, including three UNESCO world heritage sites – the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Norbulingka (and Summer Palace). The three most popular Gelugpa sect monasteries can all be accessed from Lhasa: Drepung and Sera monasteries sit just outside of the city; Ganden monastery is just over an hour away, so many make a day trip out of it. Sera Monastery is famous for their live debates starting at 3pm Monday to Friday (sometimes Saturday), and many visitors are drawn like a bug to the flame to watch these lively conversations. Barkhor Plaza and Old Town surrounds Jokhang Temple with bustling foot traffic. Souvenir shops, jewelry and clothing stores, and restaurants abound, which makes walking the stone paved alleys around Barkhor Plaza and Old Town a cultural experience in and of itself.

    A variety of cuisine can be found in Lhasa, and often all within the same menu. You can enjoy a decent burger and fries while, your companion can choose anything from Nepali set meals to Indian curries or Tibetan momos. The majority of chefs at Lhasa’s best restaurants are Nepali.

    Your guide can help you book tickets to visit the Potala Palace, which is a must see. The maze of candle lit rooms on the inside is fascinating, and the park on the backside of the palace is refreshingly beautiful. Take an evening after dinner to stroll in the square, and snap some night photography of the Potala Palace.

    potala_palace_courtyard_lhasa
    The beauty of the Potala Palace rises over Lhasa and is visible from anywhere in the Lhasa valley

    Though the ticket price is high (seats start at approximately $60 USD), the live outdoor theater performance of Princess Wencheng is impossible to describe with words or capture with a camera. It has a cast of 800 members, along with live yaks, sheep, and horses all featured on the 150m wide stage. With the mountains south of Lhasa as the backdrop, the show begins at dark, and lasts for an hour and a half.

    While visiting Lhasa, many travellers make their way outside of the city to Yamdrok Lake. Yamdrok is a freshwater lake over 72kms long, and it is one of the biggest sacred lakes in Tibet. Being located only 100km south of the city makes it a popular day trip.

    For travelers who are interested, the New Year (Losar), Saga Dawa, and Chökor Düchen festivals are three of the biggest yearly festivals celebrated in Lhasa. Particularly the New Year and Saga Dawa festivals see the city splashed with colour, with thousands of pilgrims coming to the holy city from all corners of Tibet.

  • Yulshul (Yushu)

    Yulshul (Yushu)

    Mostly inhabited by Tibetans, Yushu (ཡུལ་ཤུལ།)  is located in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the southern Qinghai province of China. The town, also referred to as Jyekundo (སྐྱེ་དགུ་མདོ།), Gyêgu, Gyêgudo or Jiegu is a multi-ethnic town with Tibetan nomadic residents and Han Chinese traders. Yushu lies at an elevation of 4,000 meters and has the fountainheads of Asia’s three great rivers – the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and the Mekong River. The rivers are part of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in the region.  Besides the Tongtian River Bridge, a stone column inscribed with the reserve’s name was given by the former president, Jiang Zemin.

    Jyekundo Dondrubling Monastery

    The Jyekundo Monastery is found on a hill overlooking Yushu Town and belongs to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In the past, a Bon Temple was present on the site, but later in 1398, Jyekundo Temple was constructed in its place. It consisted of 16 temples and was home to around 500 monks before the earthquake of 2010 hit the area.

    Gyanak Mani Temple

    About 6 kilometers east of Jyekundo Town is the Gyanak (Jiana) Mani Stone Field which has an enormous collection of carved prayer stones depicting Buddha sculptures ad mantras. There are over 2 million prayer stones stacked on top of each other spread across a square kilometer and reaching a height of 3 meters. Pilgrims from across the region pay a visit to the temple and make koras of the stone pile.

    Temple of Princess Wencheng

    Located 20 kilometers south outside of Yushu Town, the temple honors  Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she was on her way to Lhasa in the 7th century. Every Tibetan New Year, devotees visit the temple and perform a kora. The area surrounding the temple consists of thousands of prayer flags and offers picturesque views of the grasslands below and snowy mountains far away.

    Yushu Tibet - Small
    Row of stupas in Yushu

    Qinghai Yushu Horse Racing Festival

    Every year on 25th July, a Horse Racing Festival is held in the grasslands of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Qinghai Province for sturdy Khampas to display their sportsmanship. The Yushu Horse Racing Festival is attended by Tibetan nomads across the Kham region, who set up tents for the week-long festivities. The warm weather transforms the valley into lush green spaces ideal for camping and horse racing. Apart from the traditional horse races, there is also folk singing and dancing, Buddhist ceremonies and various other sports and activities as part of the festival. Tibetan herbs and handicrafts are also widely sold during the event. Women dress in their best traditional gowns and ornaments, while monks are seen clad in red robes. The tribal men wear robes with tiger stripes or panther skins.

  • Yachen Monastery

    Yachen Monastery

    History of Yachen Monastery

    Hidden away in a remote valley between Garze (Ganzi) town and Baiyu town, Sichuan, is the isolated Yachen Monastery ( ཡ་ཆེན་དགོན་པ།). Established in 1985 by a Nyingma Rinpoche, the current population of this monastic community is approximately 17,000 monks and nuns, with nuns holding the majority. Despite living conditions becoming more difficult and strains on supplies becoming more common as the population grows, people are still coming to the monastery to live and have shown remarkable perseverance in doing so.

    Yachen Monastery: Padmasambhava Idol (Guru Rimpoche)
    A several story high image of Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) dominates the landscape at Yachen Monastery. This Indian tantric master is regarded to have established Buddhism in Tibet

    Remote Living Conditions

    Many people call the area surrounding this Nyingma Sect Monastery a camp, and they don’t seem to be very far off. At over 4,000 meters elevation, temperatures here can drop well below freezing at times, making living conditions dangerous. Yachen Monastery is simply running out of living space, yet the population continues to rise. Food and water shortages have recently become an issue, with supplies running dangerously low. Even clothing is scarce, adding health risks to the list of challenges this monastic community faces each and every day.

    Electricity is almost nonexistent and there is only a short window from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. where electricity is available for use. However, with a large portion of the population living in only tents and crudely constructed huts, electricity is not an option for everybody. While the monastery does not see too many visitors outside of the region, there are still a few places for visitors to stay. Most lack any bathroom or toilets with rooms that are often shared with other people, and keys are not provided. The exception is the large hotel on the right hand side as you arrive at the main gate. It has both decent rooms and good food in the attached restaurant. During the summer season, finding sleeping arrangements can be challenging for tourists, and it is highly recommended to bring ample amounts of water, food, and even camping equipment if necessary.

    Yachen monastery
    The winter landscape of the village and surrounding geography.

    Lama Achuk Rinpoche

    Most recently, Lama Achuk Rinpoche was the last to reside over the sect at Yachen Monastery. A former head of the Nyingma Sect in China, Lama Achuk Rinpoche was an incarnation of Longsal Nyingpo of Kathok Monastery, who was an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. Born in 1927, he spent 43 years in retreat with Tulku Arik Rinpoche, his master. After becoming a realized Buddhist Master, he was highly regarded up until his passing in late 2011.

  • Chaktreng (Xiangcheng)

    Chaktreng (Xiangcheng)

    Located in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan province in China, the town of Xiangcheng (乡城) is in a scenic valley which stands at an altitude of 3,200 meters. Xiangcheng Town is also referred to as Chaktreng Town (ཕྱག་ཕྲེང་།) in Tibetan, which means ‘rosaries in Buddha’s hands’.

    From a Small Village to a Bustling Town

    Previously, Xiangcheng was a small village up in the highlands of northern Tibet. Relying heavily on agriculture, Xiangcheng Village was nestled between wheat paddy fields, and produced dairy products to sell across the county. Local Tibetans built large, cubical stone houses with white walls and colorful decorations around the windows, located alongside the Shuqu River. These small castle-like houses are very different from traditional Khampa houses and radiate a North African flair.

    Today, Xiangcheng Town still has acres of wheat fields and traditional square houses, but has seen heavy development converting it into a bustling rural town. Hotels, restaurants, outdoor cafes and stores selling essentials and Tibetan artifacts have sprung up in town. Xiangcheng Town, is a beautiful valley village with a modern Chinese downtown.

    History of Xiangcheng Village

    Xiangcheng was regarded as the White Wolf State during the rule of Eastern Han, Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since the Xiangcheng region is surrounded by huge mountains from all sides, it remained as a remote location along the ancient caravan route that connected Yunan with Sichuan and Tibet. Strategically located, Xiangcheng people had firm characters displaying ruthlessness and unfriendliness to outsiders. When Joseph Rock came to see the area more than 80 years ago, he found Xiangcheng difficult to access as it was ruled by Sashatimba, who was an outlaw chief living at the Sangpiliang Monastery.

    Chaktreng Monastery

    Chaktreng Monastery, also known as Chaktreng Gompa or Xiangcheng Monastery, was originally built in 1669 and belongs to the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chaktreng Monastery stands above the town and provides great views of the agricultural valley and stone houses. The Chaktreng Gompa overlooks the Chinese Martyr’s Cemetery. The Chaktreng Gompa has been reconstructed beautifully by painters, carvers, and carpenters to reflect the original temple.

    Bamu Mountain

    Bamu Mountain falls just outside the two to the west and is an impressive peak of many granite spires. There are a lot of waterfalls, the famous Bamu Lake, bizarre stones, protected animals, and rare flora in the Bamu mountainous area. Bamu Mountain and Lake are spread over 432 hectares. Bamu Mountain is considered to be holy as the spirit Jawarenga is said to dwell in the mountain.

     

  • Rebkong (Tongren)

    Rebkong (Tongren)

    The town of Rebkong (རེབ་གོང་།) in the Huangnan Prefecture has much to offer travelers. Known throughout the years for its art, monasteries, agricultural and mining community, and even for its cultural revolution, visitors can spend days taking in all this historic town has to offer. While the town of Tongren is known as such in Mandarin (同仁).

    Its Humble Beginnings

    The town that was established around the Longwu Monastery centuries ago in 1301, and would eventually come to form an administrative system that seamlessly combined the Chinese dynastic rule of the time with Buddhism. The town and Monastery were both widely expanded upon during the Ming Dynasty and had turned what was considered a useless region, into a flourishing town mostly filled with soldiers. Today, the monastery is the home of three separate academic institutions, houses several hundred monks, and sees visitors from around the world on a daily basis.

    Tongren gate to monastery
    The architecture for the monestary is full of wild colors and designs.

    Beauty In Art

    Longwu isn’t the only monastery nearby, nor is it the most visited. In fact, many travelers to the area prefer the Wutong Monastery because of its numerous Thangka paintings created by the monastery’s monks. While many of the original pieces were destroyed in the fallout of the Cultural Revolution, the style and beauty that once was, still lives on with the current population of artistically talented monks. Hand ground pigments and gold leaf are still used with the traditional styles that garnered this monastery’s far reaching reputation.

    Authentic Items For Sale

    These pieces can take anywhere from a few months to a couple years to create, and this is reflected in the price as well as their unbelievable detail. A large piece can sometimes sell for upwards of ¥50,000 (approximately $820 USD), with much smaller pieces usually selling for around ¥500 (approximately $80 USD). There is still plenty of exotic, fashionable clothing sold in the market, alongside souvenirs and local trinkets as well.

    Tongren architecture
    One can see the beautiful Tibetan craftsmanship in there buildings

    Taking in The Culture

    To really blend in with the locals, you will need to eat and play like the locals. Vendors along the streets often sell a variety of unique delicacies, with dried sheep’s head and yak butter tea being among them. For the less adventurous, freshly made yak milk yogurt can be found being sold by some vendors, and many Tibetan restaurants line the streets with more traditional foods. Roaming the streets between the sights, meals, and shopping, you can usually find a few locals gambling the day away with their own style of card and dice games, but welcoming any new players who are willing to take a chance.

    Scenic Beauty

    For those more interested in the Tibetan landscapes, snowcapped mountains and natural beauty that is prevalent on the Tibetan Plateau, Tongren does not cease to amaze. Within a reasonable walking distance from here, you can find breathtaking hills and grasslands; sparsely spread out on acres with mountains in the background and the common sights of sheep and yak tended to among the acres.

  • Lhagang (Tagong)

    Lhagang (Tagong)

    A small, picturesque town located in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of western Sichuan Province, Lhagang (ལྷ་སྒང་།) is home to scenic grasslands, devoted monks and Tibetan nomads with their thousands of thick-coated yaks. Lhagang, also known as Tagong (塔公) in Chinese, is situated in the ancient Kham region in southwest China at an altitude of 3,700m. This treasured place in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau is around 110 kilometers from Kangding city. The town of Tagong features traditional Tibetan-style houses built from stone.

    As a tourist attraction, Tagong is a Wild West town offering an insight into the local Tibetan Buddhist culture with its monasteries, as well as horse riding, hiking, and Tibetan homestays.

    Historical Temples

    Tagong, meaning ‘favorite place of bodhisattva’ in the local language, is home to Tagong Monastery and Lhagang Monastery. The historic Tagong Monastery (Lhagang Gompa) is right in the town center while the Lhagang Monastery is at a ten minute walk south of the town center.

    Tagong Monastery (Small Jokhang Temple)

    The famous Tagong Monastery was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911) to honor the journey of Princess Wencheng on her way to Lhasa for her wedding to Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo. It houses the replica of the sacred statue of Jowo Sakya-muni Buddha at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa along with scriptures of the Sakya Buddhist sect and other cultural relics more than 10,000 years old. A major three-day Buddha event is held at the end of June every year at the Monastery.

    Lhagang Monastery

    At the foothills of the sacred snowcapped mountain lies the Lhagang Monastery. The Lhagang Monastery consists of the Muya Golden Pagoda, which was built in 1997. The Muya Golden Pagoda was gifted by a Living Buddha of Zhuqing Monastery. It has a 100-kilogram pure gold roof in the center of the monastery’s four towers and honors the Living Buddha 10th Panchan.

    Tagong People of Tibet
    Meeting at the monastery to learn and pray.

    Tagong Grasslands

    Tagong Grasslands are a vast expanse of meadow covering an area of 712.37 square kilometers. These beautiful grasslands are home to Tibetan nomads grazing their herds of yaks and living in traditional black yak wool tents. A Horse Race Festival is held in the grasslands every year at the beginning of the eight month of the lunar calendar. Local Tibetan herdsmen in great numbers get together to watch the sport and attend the Tibetan opera. These festivities are witness to the authentic Kham Tibetan culture.

    Yaks near Tagong
    Yaks travelling across the grasslands of Tagong

    Mount Yala

    Mount Yala is located at an altitude of 5,820m in the midst of Danba, Kangding and Daofu and is covered with snow all year round. With the magnificent Golden Padoga and captivating grasslands, Mount Yala presents spectacular views and hiking opportunities. Mount Yala is worshiped by Tibetan people as the area’s patron saint. The Yala river sprouts from the Yala Mountain and merges with the Dadu river up ahead.

     

  • Sershul (Shiqu)

    Sershul (Shiqu)

    Shiqu Town (石渠), also known as Sershul (སེར་ཤུལ།), Serxu, Dzachuka, or Shiquis, is a town in Shiqu County in the Garze Autonomous Prefecture in the northern part of the Chinese Sichuan Province. Shiqu County is spread over 25,000 square kilometers and lies approximately 4,200 meters above sea level on average. Mostly covered by green pastures and grazing yaks, Shiqu is home to a majority of ethnic Tibetans with most of them being nomadic herdsmen.

    Shiqu has become an important center for trade for nomads who regularly arrive in town to buy and sell goods. The town now also has restaurants serving local food and decent hotels for visitors.

    Sershul Tekchen Dargyeling Monastery

    The Sershul Monastery is large monastery in Shiqu which belongs to the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddism. The monastery, housing the Buddhist Monastic University, has authorization to teach the highest Tibetan Buddhist Geshe Degree. The monastery consists of six main temples, several halls and a residential building housing hundreds of monks. Two huge chanting halls with artifacts dedicated to the founder, Je Tsongkhapa, are present in the largest temple. There are also other rare and sacred Buddhist pieces in the monastery, some of which date back to 2,000 years. Every year, a Molam Festival or Prayer Festival is held in the monastery in October which is heavily attended by nomads from Dege, Yushu and Nagchu.

    Shiqu Horse Festival

    Every summer in July, a Horse Festival is held in Shiqu where nomads from across the region gather to show their sportsmanship and engage in several different sporting events. The Shiqu Horse Festival creates a festive atmosphere for Tibetans who dance, drink and enjoy horse races. During the festival, Tibetan women are seen wearing colorful robes and decorative waist bands, huge necklaces, amber hair decorations and fancy embroidered hats.

    Shiqu Statue Tibet - Copy
    Shiqu statue showing King Gesar.

    The Legend of Sershul

    According to legend, when King Gesar defeated one of King Hal’s brothers i.e. the King of Yellow Tent, he let some of his previous followers stay in the region. Although they lived peacefully, they felt the need of a place of worship. A man named Sershul suggested them to build a monastery after seeking permission from the descendant of King Gesar, the Derge King. The former followers of Hal Kingdom sent Kagyu Lohrong Dondeng to convince the King of Derge to allow a religious site to be set up. The local people named the monastery as Sershul Monastery once it was built to laud the person who proposed this idea.

     

  • Shangri-La

    Shangri-La

    Shangri-La (སེམས་ཀྱི་ཉི་ཟླ།) is a name that conjures images of an idyllic paradise: cloud-carpeted sunrises with grassy outcroppings in a utopian society that lives in perfect harmony with nature. Zhongdian, Yunnan (now known as Shangri-La) is definitely some of those things. It has snow-capped mountains, clouds, sunrises (and sunsets), a mighty river, and remarkable gorges. It stands at an elevation of 3,000 meters in the northwestern corner of Yunnan, China.

    Shangrila farms
    Farms in Shangrila, on the outskirts of town

    Shangri-La is the capital of Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is sandwiched between the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to its west and Sichuan to its east. It is about 315 kilometers to the north of Dali and 659 kilometers from Kunming. Shangri-la town is at the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is a door to the UNESCO World Heritage Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas. These three major rivers include the Salween, the Yangtze, and the Mekong. They all flow in the same north-to-south direction among the mountains.

    From Zhongdian to Shangri-la

    Once known as Zhongdian, the town’s name was changed to ‘Shangri-la’ to attract tourists after James Hilton’s famous novel The Lost Horizon featured a lost paradise in the Tibetan highlands. Every town in the region rushed to claim to the title. But after much effort by Zhongdian’s mayor, it won the right to wear the crown: Shangri-la. In Tibetan, Shangri-La translates to the Land of Peace and Sacredness. Originally, its Tibetan name is Gyaitang or Gyalthang which means Royal Plains. Shangri-la town is home to mostly Tibetan and Han residents. Small pockets of Yi, Naxi, Lisu, and Bai minorities also hail from here. Outside the city, the countryside is dotted with Tibetan nomads.

    Shangrila old town
    Shangrila old town

    Songzanlin Monastery (Ganden Sumtseling Monastery)

    The Songzanlin Monastery is perched on a hill a few kilometers to the north of Shangri-La town. Being the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, Songzanlin is home to about 700 “Yellow Hat” monks. This impressive structure represents Tibetan culture and was built in the style of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. This spiritual center hosts images of Tsongkapa and Sakyamuni. It also contains portraits of the revered tenth Panchen Lama, an important religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism. The Songzanlin Monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but has been rebuilt to reflect its past glory.

    Pudacuo National Park

    Pudacuo National Park, a treasure trove of flora and fauna, is 20 kilometers east of Shangri-la town at an elevation of 3,500 to 4,000 meters. It is one of the first National Parks in China and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Three Parallel Rivers Scenic Area. The Pudacuo Park has diverse topography and a variety of wild animals and plants. Lakes Bita and Shudu are nestled there between forest-covered mountains.

  • Sertar (Seda)

    Sertar (Seda)

    Seda (色达) is located at an elevation of about 4,000 meters in a remote valley on the Tibetan Plateau, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the western part of Sichuan province in China. The Tibetans know Seda by the name of Sertar (གསེར་ཐར།), which means Golden Horse.

    Though Sertar is located in the historical Kham region of the Garze Prefecture, it is traditionally part of the Golok region where natives speak Amdo Tibetan language. This is why Sertar is referred by to by Tibetans as Golok Sertar. The Setar region, a treeless remote valley, has gained immense popularity because it is home to the largest Tibetan Buddhist school in the world.

    Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

    At a distance of about 780 kilometers from Chengdu, this monastery in Larung Gar, Sertar, is home to 40,000 Tibetan monks who have devoted their lives to studying Buddhism. The institute, belonging to the Nyingma sect (red sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, is where tens of thousands of Lamas (local male Buddhists) and Juemus (local female Buddhists) practice monastic study. They practice in red houses, thousands of which look like red dots scattered around this spiritual valley.

    The surrounding hills of the monastery are also sprinkled with tiny, red, wooden houses built close together. The monks and nuns are separated by a massive wall right across the middle of Larung Gar. Monks and nuns are required to stay in their designated area. Only the area in front of the main monastery assembly hall is open to both.

    Seda city
    View of both the Monestary and the population of monks coming to live and study in Seda

    Establishment of the Buddhist Academy

    The living Buddha, Jinmei Pengcuo, founded this Buddhist Academy in Larong, Seda in 1980. Back then, this Bhuddism sect had only 32 followers and was approved by the Seda government in 1985. The academy received its official name of Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in 1997. Since then it has developed into the largest Buddhist institute in the world.

    The Larung Buddhist Monastery in the highest grassland plateau is open to all devotees from various sects of Tibetan Buddhism: Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya unlike other monasteries. Buddhism is taught at the Monastery in both Tibetan and Mandarin languages because students come here not only from Tibetan areas but also from across the rest of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore. It takes six years of study to complete formal training while higher levels of Monastic study require up to thirteen years.  Apart from monks, nuns and students, the Monastery attracts thousands of pilgrims across Tibet. Visitors to the institute can watch readings in the morning and student debates in the evening.

    Note 

    As of 2017 Sertar  Monastery is not open to western travellers. We don’t have exact information of an opening date. But we will update once we know the opening date.

     

  • Sertar Larung Gar (school & monastery)

    Sertar Larung Gar (school & monastery)

    Population Explosion at Sertar Larung Gar

    Known around the world as the largest school for Tibetan Buddhism, Sertar Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Institute and Monastery (གསེར་རྟ་བླ་རུང་དགོན་པ།) has caused the population of its surrounding town to grow exponentially in recent years. This monastic community is located in a remote and treeless valley of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region, in Sichuan Province. The dormitories nearby house over 10,000 monks from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism including Gelug, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma. At the center of the academy you can find the main Monastery, surrounded by living quarters, elaborately decorated Buddhists statues, and large halls for the 5:00 p.m. debates on scripture, which are open to the public.

    Larung Gar wide view
    Wide view of the city, one can see the compacted housing inside Larung Gar

    History

    Sertar Larung Gar first began in 1980 after the Cultural Revolution and has been growing ever since, starting with small numbers and an even smaller community. It was founded by Master Jin Mei Pengcuo with only 32 followers. It took nearly five years for the Seda government to approve of the Buddhist’s teachings at the academy and two more years before a committee was put together to even nominate its pending name, the Seda Larung Wuming Buddhist Academy. It wasn’t until 1997 however, that the school finally received its official name and the population explosion began.

    Community Today

    Today, people have flocked to the area, known to the Tibetans as Serthar, building homes that place the monastery at the center of the town, with some simply travelling from far away just to pray here. In fact, it is one of the most popular locations today as a final destination for those ending their pilgrimage. Many of the monks who come here to learn will stay with two or three other monks, living in small quarters for periods upwards of three years at a time.

    Monastery stands tall, with the movement of many monks coming to study the religion.

    A Unique School

    In contrast to many Monasteries today, Wuming Buddhist Academy is open to practically anyone wishing to learn. In fact, students can be taught in Mandarin as well as the Tibetan language and currently there are over a thousand mandarin speaking students in the community. These students mostly come from Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Also surprising is the fact that almost half of the students here are women, a number not often heard around other Monastic academies.

     

  • Rongwu Monastery

    Rongwu Monastery

    History of Rongwu Monastery

    Named for the Rongwu River, which it is located alongside, the Rongwu Monastery (རོང་པོ་དགོན་པ།)rests in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and is less than 200 km from Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. The Monastery first began as a site for three temples in 1341. Initially established by Rongwu Samten Rinpoche, his younger brother was the designer and architect for the compound. The Temple of Three Buddhas was the first to be built, followed by the Golden Temple. It wasn’t until the first reincarnation of Rongwu Samten Rinpoche was recognized however, that the monastery was founded at the site of the three temples. Interestingly enough, the Monastery initially began under the Sakya Sect Monastery, however, over the years it became part of the Gelugpa Sect of Buddhism.

    Expansion

    Over the centuries, Rongwu Monastery has been expanded and updated and in 1991, when the eighth incarnation of Rongwu Samten Rinpoche was recognized, Yarba Chogyi, the Monastery received its newest building and further expansions. Yarba Chogyi built stupas at the four corners of the Monastery as well as a Victory Stupa. He had sayings of Buddha written in gold in various locations and even commissioned statues of Tsong Kapa. His greatest addition however, was the large prayer hall within the compound. Today, there are several significant buildings at Rongwu Monastery including The Great Sutra Hall, The Manjushri Hall, and the Main Assembly Hall.

    Monastic Colleges

    The first monastic college was established by Shartsang Gyatso in 1630, in which multiple Buddhist dialects were taught. Following several re-incarnations of Shartsang Lobsang Trinley Longtok Gyatso, the college was expanded and new halls were built to host the new colleges that were to come. The Gyamat Tratsang, or The Lower Tantric College, was established next, focusing on the study of the scriptures. This was followed by The Duikor Tratsang, or the college of Kalachakra, the study of the wheel of time.

    Cham Dance

    Performed during the Monlam Prayer Festival, the Cham Dance is a common sight at the Rongwu Monastery. The dance consists of traditional Tibetan instruments played by the monks and is meant to be a form of meditation and offering to the Gods. While it is not found in all sects of Buddhism, the monks at Rongwu Monastery are known for their impressive displays.

  • Manigangou

    Manigangou

    Located in Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan Province in southwest China, Manigangou (མ་ཎི་གད་མགོ།)is a small yet active town at an elevation of 3,950 meters. It is a town exhibiting typical nomad culture with Tibetan herdsmen riding on horses, Khampas on flashy motorcycles passing by and people enjoying drinks in wooden Tibetan houses. Manigangou is a single-street cowboy town at the edge of the grasslands near Chola Mountain, which has a lot to offer within and around its surroundings.

    Strategic Location of Manigangou

    This small nomad town lies at the intersection of three main roads: Kandze at 85 kilometers to the southeast, Derge at 110 kilometers to southwest, Yushu and Serxu 429 kilometers to the northwest. Truckers coming from and to Tibet make a stop at Manigangou to take a sip of Yak buttered tea and unwind before moving ahead on their journey. In the past, Manigangou was regarded as an important transfer and hiatus station on the Tea Horse Road where caravan fleets would stop.

    Manigangou_yak_trading
    Locals gather to trade yaks in Manigangou.

    Yilhun Lhatso Lake

    Yilhun Lhatso, also known as Xinluhai or Yulong Lake, is a gorgeous lake at an altitude of around 4,200 meters, just 11 kilometers west of Manigangou town. This sacred and beautiful glacial lake is nestled amidst the rocky, snowy Chola Mountains of Trola range. Offering beautiful sceneries, Yilhun Lhatso Lake is a protected nature reserve. On the shores of this lake one can find dozens of religious, carved prayer stones, as this is a holy lake. The stunning alpine lake is said to provide meditation opportunities for those who wish to achieve enlightenment. Several monks come from the nearby monasteries to meditate. The grasslands around Yilhun Lhatso Lake are perfect for hiking, camping and horse riding.

    Dzogchen Gompa Monastery

    About 30 kilometers from Manigangou is the Dzogchen Gompa Monastery. Dzogchen Monastery is among the largest Monasteries of Nyingmapa School in Kham region, and is an active center of spiritual study and practice and a major pilgrimage site. Dzogchen Gompa was built in the late 16th century by First Dzogchen, Pema Rigdzen on the order of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Dzogchen Monastery has been home to many great masters including Khenpo Pema Vajra, Khenpo Shenga, Patrul Rinpoche and Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso. The monastery was destroyed by fire in 1936 and was later rebuilt but destroyed again by the Chinese in 1959. As per the directions of the 14th Dalai Lama, the Dzogchen Monastery was re-established in South India in the late 1950s. Since the early 1980s, the original monastery has been undergoing reconstruction.

  • Lithang (Litang)

    Lithang (Litang)

    Lying at the edge of a vast grassland valley, Lithang (ལི་ཐང་།) is the administrative hub of Litang County. Also known in Chinese as Litang town (理塘) , the town is situated in the southwest of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Litang is a historic town at an altitude of around 4,000 meters above sea level, even higher than Lhasa, which is why it is even known as a ‘town up in the air’.

    This town in the midst of grassy hills is a major center of Tibetan culture in Kham and bustles with trading activities of Tibetan people and nomadic shepherds. The population of Litang town is around 60,000 with the majority being ethnically Tibetan. Litang town is a blend of tradition and modernity with fortress-like brown stone houses, satellite dishes and power lines.

    Litang collection of Tibetan Language in stone
    A stupa is seen surrounded by thousands of inscribed stones in a mani pile.

    Significance of Litang

    Litang town has been home to several important and renowned Buddhist personalities including the seventh Dalai Lama, the tenth Dalai Lama, four Pakpalhas, Zebutsundaba Lama of Mogonia, the 7th Gyamuyang Lama, and the first three Xianggen living Buddha.

    Litang Horse Race Festival

    For hundreds of years, Litang is famed for its horse racing festivities where Khampas gather together from all across Tibet and Southwest China. The festival not only gives a chance for Kham Tibetans to display their sportsmanship skills, but also provides opportunities for trading supplies, singing and dancing. The Horse Race Festival usually takes place in the first week of August and lasts for about a week. Tibetan nomads set up tents on the grasslands and wait anxiously for the big event. The horse festival is not a mere race, but a matter of socio-economic hierarchy, and honor and prestige in the participating Khampas. At the festival, people and horses dress to impress. Women wear their finest robes with impressive jewelry and head gear while participating horses are adorned with colorful fabric.

    Litang Monastery

    The Litang Chöde Monastery lies at the north of the town and was built in 1580, honoring the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso, 1543-1588). The Litang Monastery is the biggest Gelukpa monestary in the Kham region making it important to Tibetan Buddhists. In 1956, a major portion of the Monastery was destroyed when resistance erupted to communist reforms in Kham. Over time, many buildings of the Monastery have been reconstructed. It is said that the seventh Dalai Lama had resided in one of the chambers of the Monastery.

     

     

  • Lhamo Gompa（Langmusi）

    Lhamo Gompa（Langmusi）

    Different Faiths in Langmusi

    The Sichuan-Gansu border runs right through the center of Lhamo (ལྷ་མོ།) town. Here, Islamic and Buddhist faiths live peaceably together in this monastic village that hosts two Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhist monasteries as well as an Islamic Mosque. Lhamo offers visitors a look into both religions and cultures. Although each is located in a different province, Kirti Monastery (ཀིརྟི་དགོན་པ།) and Sertri Monastery (གསེར་ཁྲི་དགོན་པ།) are not far from each other. Some speculate that the reason the border splits the town is because of years of power struggles between the two Langmusi monasteries.

    One of the two Langmusi Monasteries known as the Kirti Monastery.

    Behind the Name

    The Tibetan Buddhist monasteries are known as the Dacang Lhamo Gerdeng Monasteries. Dacang means “Tigers’ den” and, as the story goes, there was a large tiger den near where the Monastery now sits. The word Lhamo means “fairy maiden.” In nearby caves, the shape of the stones resemble the female body. The literal translation of Dacang Lhamo, then, is “a fairy maiden in the tiger’s den.”

    Monks enter the meeting hall at Kirti Monastery in Langmusi.

    Langmusi Monasteries

    Kirti Monastery

    Both of the monasteries are well regarded and historically significant. Kirti Monastery, however, is the larger and more impressive of the two. Kirti sits on the Sichuan side of town. Seven hundred monks call Kirti home. The first of its temples was built in 1713 by a descendant of Kirti-incarnated lamas, named Tala. By 1748, three temples were built in total and the area was expanded into a much larger compound. There are many caves behind Kirti Monastery. In one of these caves, you can find the statue of the Tibetan Goddess, Palden Lhamo. The Namo Gorge, which is the source of the Bailong River, is also nearby.

    Kirti Monastery Caves
    A cave near Kirti Monastery
    Sertri Monastery

    The Sertri Monastery is also called the Gansu Monastery. It is on the northern hill on the other side of the river. This monastery dates back to 1748 and is one of the few remaining locations of Tibetan Sky Burials. These ceremonies are usually private. Sertri Monastery is home to nearly 350 monks, making it the smaller of the two monasteries. Despite its smaller size and less impressive reputation, many Tibetan pilgrims begin their Kora at Sertri.

    Sertri Monastery Langmusi
    Sertri Monastery in Gansu
  • Gelugpa Sect

    Gelugpa Sect

    The Gelugpa Sect  (དགེ་ལུགས་པ།)of Tibetan Buddhism, despite being the youngest, is the largest and most important school of thought. Having emerged in the 15th Century through the reforming efforts of Tsongkhapa, adherance to the Gelugpa sect is considered to be purest form of Tibetan Buddhism. The sect achieved its peak in the 17th Century with huge support from Mongols and Tibetans inspired by the enigmatic 5th Dalai Lama. The Gelugpa Sect remained in power in the Central Tibetan Plateau until Chinese invasions of Tibet in the 1950s.

    Creation of the Gelugpa Sect

    The Gelugpa (Gelug) Sect was founded by Tsongkhapa, a reformist monk and a great Tibetan scholar, and headed by the Dalai Lama. Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) began studying with a local Sakya lama at a very young age. He travelled to central Tibet and studied in all the major monasteries acquiring knowledge about philosophy, Tibetan medicine, Mahamurda practices, and Atisha’s tantric yoga.

    Tsongkhapa was particularly inspired by Madhyamika teachings of Nagarjuna. He preached monastic discipline and encouraged return to the conservative doctrines of Buddhism. Regarded as the manifestation of Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Jampelyan (Manjushri), Tsongkhapa’s followers built him the Ganden Monastery in Netang near Lhasa in 1409. After his death, Tsongkhapa’s students built a new school of Tibetan Buddhism based on his teachings and named it ‘Gelug’ which means virtuous tradition.

    Among his known disciples were Gyaltsab (1364-1431), Jamchen Chojey (1355-1435), Khedrub (1385-1438), and Gendun Drupa (1391-1474). His disciples founded the great monasteries of the Gelug Sect such as Sera monastery of Lhasa, Drepung and Tashillhunpo monasteries, and introduced the tradition of wearing yellow hats to differentiate between sects.

    Introduction of Dalai Lama and Boom of Gelug Sect

    During the 16th century, the then powerful Mongol leader, Altan Khan, gave the title of Dalai Lama to Gendun Gyatso, the first tulku or reincarnation of Tsongkhapa’s last major disciple, Gendun Drupa. Down the line, the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617- 1682,) became instrumental in forming a favorable alliance with the Mongol leaders. He thus became the spiritual and political leader of the entire Tibetan region and the Gelugpa Sect reached its highest peak during the 17th century.

    Teachings of Gelugpa (Yellow Hats)

    Gelugpa practices revolve around Lamrim, from the teachings of Atisha, which focuses on the journey to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. Concentration can be achieved by meditation and sparking the bodhisattva within. The Gelug School of Buddhism is based on the Kadam tradition which was established by Atisha in the 11th Century. It teaches following the traditional monastic code as a means of achieving the state of nirvana.

     

  • Garze (Ganzi)

    Garze (Ganzi)

    Lying in the vast expanse of the beautiful Ganzi Valley (甘孜) at an altitude of 3,800 meters, surrounded by the majestic Chola Mountain, green hills dotted with yaks and rocky ridges, is the active Ganzi town. Ganzi town (also known as Garnze, Ganze, and Kandze (དཀར་མཛེས་རྫོང་།)) is the capital of Ganzi County situated in Garze Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province of China. The town, about 385 kilometers northwest from Kangding town, overlooks the stunning snow-peaked mountains of Minya Konka (Mt. Gongga / Gongga Shan) range and has Rongcha River passing through it.

    Ganzi

    Ganzi Town

    The lively market town is populated by a majority of Tibetan people, and is an interesting area in terms of landscape and culture as it is traditionally part of the Kham Tibetan region. The town radiates a strong sense of Tibetan tradition and culture as tough Khampas (the name given to the people of Kham) and yaks can be seen roaming around town. The main intersection is crowded with people, trucks, cabs, motorcycles, and even a few horses. A central street in the town is Chuanzang Road, which is lined with small shops selling traditional Tibetan clothing, jewelry and others accessories. There are also shops that display antiques, traditional Tibetan hand-carved furniture, as well as monk’s garments, and religious artefacts. The town also features modern supermarkets selling food, beer, Chinese wine, music CDs, and DVDs.

    Ganzi Monastery

    Ganzi Monastery, known as Ganzi Gompa in Tibetan, is found at the north of the town and belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This large monastery was built in 1642 by Mongols after they took control of the area. During the Chinese Revolution, the monastery was partially destroyed, but was later rebuilt in Han Chinese style with white tiles and plastic window panes.

    Therefore, when compared with other monasteries, Ganzi Monastery has lost its original Tibetan charm and is now a fusion of Tibetan and Chinese architecture. With over 1,500 monks, the Ganzi Monastery is the largest Gelugpa religious site besides the Litang and Chamdo Monasteries in the Kham region. The halls and terraces of the monastery offer amazing views of the surrounding beautiful valley with its lofty hills and the bustling Ganzi town.

    Ganzi monastery

    This 540-year old monastery is adorned with a considerable amount of gold. The walls of the grand main hall are lined with hundreds of small golden Buddha statues (Sakyamunis) while an inspiring, large statue of Jampa (Maitreya or Future Buddha) clad in a silk robe stands in a smaller hall to the west of the main hall. With many resident monks and devotees from the town and nearby areas circling the little chapels with giant prayer wheels, the temple is bustling throughout the day.

     

  • Derge (Dege )

    Derge (Dege )

    Derge (སྡེ་དགེ ) in the native tongue which means land of mercy in Tibetan, is located in the Garze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in the Kham area of the Tibetan Plateau. The town is regarded as the cultural hub of the Kham region in the northwest of Sichuan province, close to the border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The town of Dege sits in a valley close to the Tibetan border and is made up of a mix of traditional Tibetan colorful houses and modern Chinese concrete buildings.

    History of Dege

    This town, along with Lhasa and Xiahe, was a historic center of Tibetan culture and the seat of kings of the Dege Kingdom. Being an influential kingdom in Kham, the Kingdom of Dege was recognized as a hub for politics, religion and industry. In the 15th century, the town became the kingdom’s capital under the rule of Lodro Tobden. The Chinese government took control of the kingdom in 1727, and in 1733, its king was elevated to the status of Hsuan Wei Ssu. In 1895, the town was taken over by forces sent by the Governor-General of Szechuan, and the king and his family was taken as prisoners to Chengdu. By the time China intervened, the king died leaving behind two sons who struggled to take over the throne. From 1908 to 1918, China had direct control over Dege.

    Barkhang (Parkhang) Scripture Printing House

    The Dege Parkhang Printing House is a cultural treasure in Tibet, housing publications of different sects of Tibetan Buddhism and culture as well as works of science and technology, medicine, history, mathematics and language among others. With over 250,000 hand-engraved wooden blocks of knowledge, the Dege Barkhang is home to 70% of Tibet’s literary heritage. Even today, artisans continue to carve wood to preserve Buddhist scriptures, and expert printing staff handprint books.

    Dege Printing House

    Derge Sutra Printing Temple, as it is also known, was established in 1729 by the fortieth Dege King, Kemba Tsering and took about 21 years to be constructed. Surprisingly, the Dege Parkhang remained unaffected during the campaigns of Gonpo Namgyal, the early twentieth century succession struggles and religious and cultural suppression under the Chinese Communist Party.

    The Barkhang also holds religious significance to Tibetans who come here from across the region to walk holy koras around it.

    Gonchen Monastery

    Gonchen Monastery, also known as a Derge Monastery, is a huge Sakya sect Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. It was built in 1448 by renowned Buddhist polymath and physician, Thang Tong Gyalpo. Derge Monastery came under attack during the Cultural Revolution but was restored in the eighties and is now home to about 300 monks. The monastery boasts a unique design and is adorned with white, dark red and gray colors linked with the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism.