Situated at the foot of the Mountain Gambo Utse, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the western suburb of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism.
On the slope of the Wutse Hill five kilometers northwest of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery was built in 1416 and is the largest monasteries of the Gelug Sect. It covers an area of 250,000 square meters. In its heyday, it had more than 10,000 monks. The monastery has trained a large group of talents for Tibetan Buddhism. The 15th Dalai Lama lived here before he moved to the Potala Palace. It houses plenty of historical and cultural relics and Buddhist classics. In the exciting Shoton Festival, "Sunning the Buddha" ceremony held in the monastery has been one of the most magnificent religious activities in Tibet.
Editor: Donald |
