Let's Go, Self-Driving Tibet! (13)

Today is April 18th, day 13 of our self-driving trip in Tibet.

Today's plan was to visit Ramoche Temple and the three great monasteries of Tibet: Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and Ganden Monastery. Due to time constraints—Ganden Monastery is quite far from Lhasa—we opted for Sera and Drepung.

Ramoche Temple was established in the mid-7th century, with Princess Wencheng laying its foundation. Inside Ramoche Temple, a life-size statue of Sakyamuni at the age of eight is enshrined.

Sera Monastery was founded in the 17th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1419) by Jamchen Choje, a disciple of the Gelug school founder Tsongkhapa. Sera is one of the three great monasteries of Lhasa and the last one built among them. At its peak, it housed over 8,000 monks and nuns.

Sera Monastery is very close to downtown Lhasa, reachable by car in about 18 minutes.

This huge white building is where the giant Buddha thangka is displayed during the Shoton Festival, a traditional Tibetan holiday held at the end of the sixth month or the beginning of the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar. The building is as large as the thangka painting of the Buddha that will be hung there.

Behind that white building is a hillside. Before the white building was constructed, the Buddha thangka was displayed on this very slope.

This is a painting of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism.

This is a complete Wheel of Life painting, depicting the six realms of rebirth.

This artwork is made entirely of butter, so it is called a butter painting.

Here is a young lama begging for alms within Sera Monastery.

The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism are inlaid into the ground in front of the main hall.

Drepung Monastery was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choje Tashi Palden, another disciple of Tsongkhapa. At its peak, Drepung had over ten thousand monks, making it the largest monastery in Tibetan Buddhism and the most prestigious in the Gelug school.

Drepung Monastery sits high on a mountain. Its numerous temples and monastic colleges are built layer upon layer up the hillside. Therefore, from the monastery's main gate to the temple complex, it is a long uphill walk. Not knowing we could drive up, we parked in the parking lot and wasted a lot of time and energy. By the time we reached the front of the temple halls, visiting hours had passed, so we could only look around outside and take a few photos as souvenirs. Here's a strong reminder: you can drive into Drepung Monastery. I'll say it three times—definitely drive up the mountain, drive up the mountain, drive up the mountain.