Drepung Monastery

Drepung Monastery is situated at the foot of the Mountain Gambo Utse, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the western suburb of Lhasa.

 

Drepung monastery was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsong Khapa, Yangjiangque jie. It lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse, clustered round by the black mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight. Built in 1416, it is considered as one of the largest monasteries in the six principle monasteries of Gelu Sect in China. Drepung Monastery used to be the living palace of Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala palace(after the 5th Dalai Lamas was bestowed by Qing emperor Qianlong).

 

The ground of the monastery is organized on the caves and temples for Jamyang Qoigyi, together with two magnificent white pagodas. The buildings of the monastery are centered on these pagodas, The major buildings are Ganden Potrang, Coqen Hall, the four Zhacangs (or Tantric colleges), and Kamcuns. The Ganden Potrang, in the southwest corner of the monastery, became the residence of the second, third, fourth, and the fifth Dalai Lamas. After the fifth Dalai Lama moved to the Potala Palace, it was served as the meeting place for the local regime for both politics and religion. The Coqen Hall is located in the center of the monastery. Amongst the colorful decorations, there are fine and vivid statues of Buddha and collections of precious sutras. The monastery is composed of 4 Zhacangs, functioning as the sutra-learning places and the subordinate organization. Loseling Zhacang is the largest with the most lamas. The Loseling, Gomang, and Deyang Zhacang focus on the Esoteric Buddhism, while the Ngaba Zhacang on the Exotoric Buddhism. Several courtyards in the dense forests on the grounds of the monastery are used for monks to debate on the sutras. The Drepung Monastery houses many cultural relics, such as statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Sitatapatra, rare sutras all add to the wonderment of the monastery.