Drepung Monastery

Location of the Drepung Monastery:

It is situated 5 kilometers' (3.1 miles) distance to the western suburb of Lhasa at the foot of  Mountain Gambo Utse.It is considered one of the 'Three Great Monasteries' (the other two are the Ganden Monastery and the Sera Monastery. Covering an area of 250,000 square meters (299,007 square yards).

History of the Drepunng Monastery:

The Drepung Monestary was established in 1416 by Tsong Khapa's disciple, Jamyang Choje, who was versed in both Esoteric and Exotic Buddhism and became the first Kampo there. With the support of plutocrats, it developed as the richest monastery of Gelugpa and became the mother temple of Dalai Lamas. Drepung Monastery was once the world's largest monastery, with a population of around 10,000 monks. The word Drepung literally translates as "rice heap", a reference to the huge numbers of white monastic buildings that once piled up on the hillside. In 1546, the third Dalai was welcomed as the first Living Buddha into the monastery. At the invitation of Mongolia's king, he went to Qinghai Province to preach. He was dignified with the title 'the third Dalai Lama' ,the first and second Dalai were entitled, too. It is the very place that the second, third, and the fourth Dalai Lama held the Sitting-in-Bed Ceremony, as well as the residence of the fifth Dalai before his nomination by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).By the time of the 5th Dalai Lama in the early 17th century, the number of resident monks was somewhere between 7000 and 10,000. Today there are around 600 monks in residence.

Systems of the Drepung Monastery:
The organizational hierarchy of the  Drepung Monastery is rather complex. The main branches of the organization consist of Coqen, Zhacang, Kamcun, and Myicun. Coqen is in the highest position, to which Zhacang belongs, and Kamcun is under the jurisdiction of Zhacang, with the Myicun as its subordinate. Monks belonging to respective Zhacangs cannot interblend with each other.The education system in Zhacangs is set up as that, every year there are eight chances to study the sutra collectively, each time spanning from half a month to a month. Monks are tested before the Kampo in the method of reciting sutras and debating, and based on their performance; receive the degrees of different levels.

Cultural Relics of the Drepung Monastery:
The Drepung Monastery houses many cultural relics, which adorn the monastery and make it more superb. Statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and Sitatapatra found on the first storey of the Coqen Hall, rare sutras on the second storey and Jamyang Choje's conch shell given by Tsong Khapa on the third one, all add to the wonderment of the monastery. Exquisite statues of Tsong Khapa, Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Amitayus, and Jamyang Qoigyi in other sutra halls, as well as flowery murals on walls also fully present the wisdom of the Tibetan people.

Tips for Drepung Monastery:
  1.Admission Fee: CNY 55
  2.Opening Hours:09:10 to 12:00
  3.Recommended Time for a Visit: Three hours
  4.Bus Route:bus NO. 3;301 ; 3O2; or you can rent a land cruiser