The Drepung Monastery, Lhasa that is located at the foot of the Mount Gephel is one of the main places of attraction. the Drepung Monastery, Lhasa meaning "Rice Heap" monastery is one of the three most Geluka universities of Tibet. The other two are the Sera Monastery and Ganden Monastery. Every year hundreds of tourists and pilgrims come to this place.
Of all the Tibetan universities, the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa is the largest. It was founded in 1416 and is home of about 10,000 monks. The person accredited with the building of the monastary was a Tsongkapa's disciple Jamyang Choeje. The monastery was the former seat of the Dalai Lamas. Drepung Monastery was nicknamed as the 'Nalanda of Tibet' because it was a great seat of learning.
The Monastery covers a total area of about 250,000 square meters. The white building of the monastery when seen from a distance appeared like a heap of rice. It is for this reason that the monastery was thus named.
The Drepung Monastery, Lhasa is famous for the Festival of Shoton. It is an annual festival and is attended by pilgrims coming from various countries. During your visit to the monastery see the Ganden Podrang or the Ganden Palace, Tashi Gomang Tratsang Tsokchen or the Assembly Hall. In addition to these you can also see the Ngakpa Tratsang or the College of Tantric Studies, Jamyang Drubpuk or the Jamyang Choeje's meditation cave and the Loseling Tratsang or the College of Dialectics.
The base of the monastery stands on caves. The pagodas of Jamyang Qoigyi are other places of attractions. The buildings of Ganden Potrang, Kamcuns, the four Zhacangs (or Tantric colleges), and Coqen Hall stands all round the pagodas. The building of Ganden Potrang was constructed as par the instructions of the second Dalai Lama. The Coqen Hall is famous for the Sutra Hall. It spreads over a total area of 1,850 square meters and is supported by 183 pillars.
There are many other beautiful art works housed in the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. While the first storey houses the statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva and Sitatapatra of the Coqen Hall the rare sutras can be seen in the second storey of the building. The third floor houses the Jamyang Qoigyi's conch shell that was given by Tsong Khapa. In addition to these you can see the statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Tsong Khapa, Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, Amitayus, and flowery murals on walls.
travel.mapsofworld.com provides detailed information on Drepung Monastery, Lhasa.
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