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Tibbet
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| Places
of worship of the Tibetan Buddhism as well as
of the indigenous Bon religion abound in the
Tibet Autonomous Reglon. They are distinctive
in srchitecturalstyle, and have had a great
influence on the region since ancient times． |
| However，
most of
the old buildings remained till present in Tibet
are monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism that were
constructed with regard to their geographical
surroundings，usually
at the feet of mountains．Generally
speaking, a monastery complex is composed of
the Sutra Hall，Zhacang
（Buddhist
school），the
living quarters of lamas，the
palace of the Living Buddha，
and the
living quarters for the monks，grouped
aroun the Hall of Enlightenment. The various
buildings are connected with each other by corridors
and courtyards，and
form a harmonious whole．The
monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism feature aspects
of the architectural styles of inland China，India
and Nepal． |
Jokhang
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| Jokhang
Temple situated in the center of the
old section of Lhasa, and was built
in the mid - 7th century A. D. and later
extended by successive rulers, it has
now become a gigantic architecture complex.
Located in the east, facing to the west,
it is a four storeyed Temple with splendid
golden roofs. It has architecture feature
of Tang Dynasty and also assimilated
very much features from both Nepalese
and Indian Buddhist Temples. The murals
in the temple mainly depict the life
stories of historic characters. The
temple houses many historical relics
since Tang Dynasty and statues of King
Songtsen Gompo, Princess Wencheng, Princess
Bhrikuti Devi (Nepalese). "Princess
Willow" (a tree), and "The
Uncle - Nephew Alliance Tablet"
can be seen at the front gate of the
temple. Jokhang is the country' s spiritual
center, and the holiest destination
for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. It houses
the sitting statue of Sakyamuni when
he was 12 years old. |
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Zhangmu
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| Better
known by it's Tibetan name, Khasa. A small settlement
clinging to a hillside 10Kms. from the Friendship
Bridge across the Bhotekoshi river. Since the
closure of the China/India border from Gangtok,
Zhangmu has become the major trading point between
Tibet and Nepal. The climate is quite different
from the hinterland. The hills around Zhangmu
are heavily wooded with many waterfalls in summer
and impressive ice formations it winter. It
has a bank, a post office, a government store,
and is presently undergoing a construction boom
to meet the demands of trade and tourism. |
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Drepung
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| Situated
five Km's 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 of Tsongkapa,
the founder of Gelugpa Sect. The monastery,
occupying an area of 250,000 squire
meters 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. |
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Tashilungpo Monastery
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| It
is the biggest Gelugpa monastery in the Tsang
region of Tibet. It is located in the town of
Sigatse and was founded by Gedun Drup, a disciple
of Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelungpa Sect.
Gedun Drup was later recognized as the first
Dalai Lama. It was formerly built in 1447 and
continuously expanded by the successive Panchen
Lamas. The Ngagpa College (Tantric College),
one of its four monastic colleges, was the residence
of the Panchen lamas. The most amazing image
in this monastery is the statue of the giant
Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th
Panchen Lama in 1914, and took four years for
its establishment. This giant statue stands
twenty six meters in height and 275 Kg. of solid
gold, great quantity of precious things such
as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers have
absolved for its construction. The 4th Panchen
Lama's funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it
stands eleven meters high and it covered with
solid gold and silver. |
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Shalu
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| Shalu
is located about 18 kilometers southwest
of Shigatse. It was built in the 11
th century and was a seat of great learning.
After its destruction by an earthquake
in the 14 th century, Shalu was rebuilt
with the assistance of the Mongols,
consequently it featured a green Mongol
style tile roof. Its greatest artistic
feature was a series of paintings executed
by Nehwari craftsmen. |
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Nehwars are the original native residents of
the Kathmandu valley in Nepal and are to this
day renowned artisans. It was the Nehwars who
invented the architectural Pagoda style which
now permeates all of southeast Asia. Although
most of the monastery was destroyed by the Chinese,
a main building remained featuring some remarkable
mandalas and wall paintings arrayed along a
corridor. |
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Samyai Monastery
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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. To visit
this monstery a ferry across the Yarlung
Zangpo river has to be taken from the
road to Tsetang. |
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Tsetang Valley
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Yumbu
Lagang - the oldest building in Tibet.
Yumbu Lagang, situated in Nedong country of
Lhoka Prefecture, Yumbu Langang is said to be
the first palace in Tibetan history and built
in the second century B.C. The palace, facing
west, stands lofty on top of the hill. Statues
of the Three Periods of Buddha, Tibetan king
Nyatri Tsenpo, Lha Tho - Tho - Ri Nyantsen,
Tri Ralpachen, Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen
are enshrined in the palace. |
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Sakya Monastery
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| Located
in Skaya Country, about 30 kms off the Shigatse-Xegar
highway. 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 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 monuments. Owing to its valuable and
voluminous amount of Buddhist sutras and cultural
remains, the monastery is often considered as
the "Tunhuang the Second". |
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Tibbet
Pilgrimage Reservation Form
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