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.
Kangding color
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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
Zhi bai village
Namcha Barwa mountain is one holy mountain located near the Yarlung Tsanpo River Big bend. The best spot to view this stunning mountain is at Zhi bai village
Yarchen Gar Nunnery
Yarchen Gar the Jo Mu Island, here “Jo Mu” means “Nuns”. The location of Yarchen Ga is not really an island, the river curves heading southeast and joining Yarlung river near Nyarong county. At where the Yarchen located, it form a piece of land a Peninsula like;
Yarchen Gar is about 95km west from Kanze (Garze county). It is also Nyingma Pa tradition, specially a acedemy for nuns
Heping Fahui Nunnery
“Heping Fahui Nunnery” is one name we recently received. But this is NOT a correct name of nunnery, “He Ping” means “Peaceful”; “Fa Hui” means Pujia. Those are 4 Chinese words in Pin Yin. When to put this 4 words together, it means “Peaceful Pujia”. so it is not a name of nunnery, but a name of Tibetan Religious activity.
This “Peaceful Pujia” was started from October 1999. The sites are included: Peaceful Tashi Falun Zha-Cang; Peaceful Buddhist Academy, Peaceful Tibetan hospital, Peaceful Rainbow Celestial Burial, Peaceful Mani Pile Wall, Peaceful Nursing home and Peaceful Primary School. Those sites are all located in Ge Ri Ma village which is some 10 km northwest from Tagong by road or 2-3 hours crossing through the Tagong Grassland by hike. Some people call this nunnery is “Ani Gompa“, which is not verified
Schedule of Peaceful Pujia (Heping Fahui)
The below listed date are all according to Tibetan calendar, please contact us to check exact date on Gregorian calendar. Tibetan Calendar is updated in December each year.
- Winter Pujia: From 1st of 10th month to the next 15th of 1st month
- Salvation Pujia: From 25th of the 2nd month to 30th of 3rdmonth
- Own-relief suffer Puja: From 1st to 30th of 4thmonth
- Summer Pujia: From 5th month to 30th of 6thmonth. This is the largest one. There are usually more than 30,000 people participating this great pujia
- Tibetan Play: From 1st to 15th of 8thmonth
For the moment, Tashi Nunnery is the official name of this sites
Peaceful Pujia
Location of Tashi monastery and the location where the Peaceful Pujia (Heping Fahui) is held
[google_map_embed src=”https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1-7DziJ2YinoWmx4g6S-4X3D39aM” height=”450″]
Puma Yumtso
Puma Yumtso lake is also called Puma Yumco lake. It is one large Freshwater lake that located in Lhozhag (Lodrak) county, approximately 220 km south from Lhasa. There is one argument about its altitude, 4980 meter, 5010 meter, and 5030 meter. According to the altimeter that we carry, its altitude is 4735 meters. So this is a new altitude; Anyway, this is one lake with great nature view and being of the 4 holy lakes of Tibet, the other three are: Yamdrok lake, Namtso Lake and Marnasaovar Lake in west Tibet
