Perched high above the valley in a natural ampitheatre, Ganden monastery is considered the primary monastery of the Gelug order founded by the great Tibetan Buddhist master Je Tsongkhapa. Indeed, the great Lama's remains are buried here. Around 400 monks live and practice at the site now but at its height Ganden once housed over 5000 monks. The tragic events of the Cultural Revolution reduced the site to rubble but thankfully it has now been substantially rebuilt.
Samye monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet and is a hugely impressive sight. A striking feature of Samye is its layout - which seeks to mirror the Buddhist universe by following the concepts of a 3 dimensional mandala. Like Ganden, it once housed thousands of monks but is now much reduced in size. As with most of the temples and monasteries in Tibet, many areas cannot be filmed but hopefully this short video will give a flavour of the wonders of this historic spiritual centre. However, no amount of film can convey the overpowering aromas of juniper incense and yak butter lamps that are so integral to the experience.
The great monasteries of Ganden and Samye can be easily combined with visits to the cave retreats and temples at Druk Yerpa, the majestically positioned Yumbu Lakhang, and the ancient monastery at Tradruk (Tramdrung).
Heading out of Lhasa (see Part 1) some of Tibet's greatest monasteries are easily visited on day trips or with an overnight stay in Tsedang. Beware the altitude though!
This tour was arranged through Explore Tibet (visit their website for more details). Foreign tourists are not permitted to travel independently in Tibet.
Filmed in August 2018
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