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Lhozhag County one tibet border town
Lhozhag County is one of the 4 border town of Shan-nan Prefecture of Tibet. Its southern border with Bhutan. The border is about more than 200 kilometers. Se village is seated on this border. Follow the road into Se valley to reach Se Village which is about 30km from Bhutan. Se village is not well-known, however, Sekhar Gutok monsatery is the one that people come here for
Sekhar Gutok Monastery
Sekhar Gutok monastery means “The Nine-Story castle built by Prince”. It is located about 600 meters south of Se village of Shannan Prefecture Tibet in Lhozhag County, where the altitude of 3,700 meters. Sekhar Gutok was originally Kagyu Pa monastery, then converted to be one Gelug Pa monastery and being included as a national key cultural relics protection project.
Brief
Sekhar Gutok Monastery was founded by the famous Tibetan Buddhist master Marpa in AD 1080. whose’s disciple Milarepa was responsible for building this monastery.
The monastery faces to east and being surrounded by wall; it is 98 meters from east to west, and 48 meters from South to North. The assembly hall of the temple is known as the Great Buddha Karma. The 28 meters high nine-floors tower with the golden dome roof of Sekhar Gutok was constructed as a great act of penance by Milarepa on behalf of Darma Dode, the son of Marpa. In the first half of the 16th century, Kagyu scholar “Bawa Zhu la Cheng Wa” started a massive expansion of maintenance, thus forming the present size. It is said that the expansion into Dukang hall mural is painted by “Bawa Zhu la Cheng Wa”.
The Renpoche of Samdrup Temple of Kham managed to make the last maintenance in 1944 of 20th century. From which, Sekhar Gutok monastery converted to be one Gelug Pa monastery. For adherents of the Kagyu school, and the Tibetan population as a whole, this single building and the manner of its construction encapsulate the self-sacrifice and renunciation required for success on the Buddhist spiritual path. The tower its distinctive pagoda roof now replaced with a flat roof; and three of its seven floors contain original murals. Marpa’s chapel has some excellent old Thangkas. the adjacent two story monastery which once housed 100 monks, still contain some original images of the karmapas, and precious relics such as skull fragment of Dagmema whom was wife of Marpa
Sekhar Gutok Monastery Data
Address
600 meters from Se village
Opening hour
Full day
Altitude
3,700 meters
Entrance fee
RMB 20.00 per person
How to get to there
This monastery is located in Se village of Lhozhag County, from which you can walk to this site within 5 minutes;
Se village is 48 kilometers from Lhozhag County, about 1.5 hours’ drive, from which it is 220 kilometers, about 5.5 hours’ drive to Gyantse County; or 260 kilometers, about 7 hours drive from Lhasa
The Four Major Sects of Tibetan Buddhism
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Mu ge cuo Lake
Mu ge cuo Lake is also called “The Wild Man Lake”. It is with an altitude of 3,700 meters. The water surface covers about three square kilometers, the deepest of this lake is about 70 meters. The lake is surrounded by pines, cedars, and rhododendron trees on three sides and neighboring the vast Lhagang (Tagong) grassland and Lhagang (Tagong) monastery in its west.
Kangding color
Kangding – the home of love-songs in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province. It is also the gateway town of entering Kham, the east Tibet of Kham.
2016 litang horse racing festival return
Litang Horse Racing Festival was stopped since 2008; This year. This year, 2016 Litang horse racing festival return. This distinguished meeting is now being held in Litang Grassland with even more exciting equipment of Hot-air balloon, which provide full view of this traditional Tibetan horse-racing festival;
2016 litang horse racing festival begins from today, August 1st;
Larung Gar Monastery
Larung Gar Monastery is also called Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy. It is a Buddhist academy located in the Larung Gar valley, some 20 km east from Sertar County.
Brief
It was founded in 1980 in the uninhabited valley by Jigme Phuntsok, a lama of the Nyingma Pa tradition. The academy has grown substantially ever since. The highest population was in 2008, by then approximately 110,000 monks and nuns live and study in this valley;
Till 2015, it is still a “home” to over 35,000 monks and nuns. Nuns and monks are segregated by age and sex. Housing for monks and nuns are divided by a winding road cut the mountains that divides the “city” like monastery. Alcohol are strictly prohibited in this valley.
Larung Gar Data
Address
Located in the valley of Luoruo Xiang
Opening hour
Full day
Altitude
3,700 meters above sea level
Entrance fee
Free of charge
Larung Gar Monastery’s Guesthouse is the largest one in this valley; It is recommended for its good location that provides full view of the valley and easy access to the monastery, whether to its vegetarian restaurant or the assembly hall
Be advised: Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in this monastery
In addition, there are about 8 smaller guesthouses near the assembly hall, and another 11 guesthouses are built or being built at the valley entrance, all of which are with distance about 2-3 kilometers from the main hall
How to get to there
The easiest way and comfort way is to rent a vehicle from Chengdu to Larung Gar, the rental is vary in different season, usually for a 4 wheel drive vehicle, the one way rental is from RMB 1,500.00 – 4,000.00
The nearest airport is Garze Airport, which is about 286 kilomers via Luhuo County, or go straight to Serta through Donggu village of Garze county, The road is about 150 kilometers, but the road condition is too bad, a 6-7 hours drive may be required
Alternatively, the public transportation is also very popular. There are three buses leaving from Cha-Dian-Zi Bus Terminal of Chengdu to Serta Countyevery day. It departs separately at 06:10 am , 06:15 am and 06:20 am with rates of RMB 209.00 OR RMB 231.00, it takes about 14 hours’ drive
Chengdu Cha Dian Zi Bus Terminal
Add: No. 289, Section 5th, West Third ring road;
Contact: +86 28 87506610
Altitude: 460 meter above sea level
Garze Gesaer Airport
Address: Laima village
IATA Code: GZG
Altitude: 4,061 meters
Additional info
- the bus ticket is quite popular, you may have to book online in advance, the ticket booking web: http://www.scqcp.com/
- The bus goes directly yo Serta County , so you will have to inform the driver that you go to Larung Gar, and need to get off the bus at the “The Road intersection of Buddhist Academy”
- Once you get off the bus at the “The Road intersection of Buddhist Academy”, you will need to take another local vehicle to cover the final 3.5 kilometers to reach at the Assembly hall of Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy
Man La Cuo Lake
Man La Cuo Lake is actually a high altitude hydroelectric power, it located some 30km east from Gyantse county. Because it is surrounded by high mountains, so it looks like a highland lake
Images of this lake before this enormous reservoir before impounding water
