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Before the ‘peaceful liberation’ of Tibet by China in 1950, Tibet had approximately 2000 major monasteries and 110,000 Buddhist monks. Today there are only 1700 monasteries left and about 64,000 monks but what remains are still astounding and are a representative view of the wealth of history and culture in Tibet. It is therefore hardly surprising that most of the manmade attractions to be visited in Tibet are the monasteries themselves. Samye Monastery It was an Indian teacher Padmasambhava, who founded the oldest monastery in Tibet in AD 770. He is also considered the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is built on a mandala foundation with the main temple placed in the center symbolizing the mythical Buddhist peak of Mount Meru. Tashi-Lhunpo Monastery The residence of the Panchen Lama, this monastery was founded in 1447 by one of the principal disciples of the Founder of the Yellow Sect, Tsongkhapa. Nearly 4000 monks used to live in this red and white building, which sprawls over 300,000 square meters along the slopes of Mount Niser, southwest of Shigatse. Today, there are only 600 monks staying here. Within the walls of this monastery one can find the Maitreya, a chapel built in 1914 to house the 26-meter tall statue of the Buddha of the Future. There is also an eleven-meter tall memorial to the fourth Panchen Lama, which was erected in 1662 and is decorated with 85 kilograms of gold, 15 tons of silver and countless precious stones. Sa’gya Monastery Located 145 kilometers southwest of Xigaze, this monastery was founded in 1073 along with the creation of a new order, the Sa’gyapa school. The striking dark gray buildings have white horizontal stripes under the roof and red vertical stripes at the corners. The monastery, which is actually made up of two sections, is home to many priceless articles as well as over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy and history. The southern monastery is largely intact from the violent years of the Cultural Revolution but the northern monastery was almost completely destroyed. Today several of the buildings have been rebuilt. The Three Monasteries of the Yellow Hat Sect The three monasteries near Lhasa are considered focal points of the Yellow Hat sect and pillars of the theocratic state.
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