-- Popular Monasteries In 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. |
| |
|
|
 |
|
