The Drepung monastery
Trip Start
Apr 04, 2004
1
18
34
Trip End
Jun 07, 2004
Lhasa,
China
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Monday 25th May
The Drepung monastery is the largest of all Tibetan ones and at one time the largest of any religion in the world. It's about 5kms west of Lhasa and once again I catch the bus. I jump off just before the end of the line and take a wide angled approach to avoid the inevitable ' pay here ' kiosk.
Behind it is a vast hill dotted with sheep. I climb high enough to look down at the fragmented ruins of the Drepung with Lhasa in the distance. Once inside the functional part of the monastery I simply walk and climb at leisure like a boy in a huge dolls house. There is the smell of age and history
1.Prayer wheels at the Drepung monastery
. The thick timber beams creak slightly but have held the structure in place for nearly 600 years. A monk gently asks if I have a picture of the Dalai Lama. It is appreciated if foreign tourists bring such a picture with them. As the image of his holiness is currently banned by you know who. I do not have one but the monk forgives my forgetfulness and takes me up further into a small room which contains many Buddha figurines. Hanging thangkas ( carpets ) and a bass drum with an animal skin stretched across its diameter of at least 64". Or maybe not that big, but I'd love to take a peddle to it.
From here I climb out of an opening onto a flat roof among gold prayer wheels attached to the corners of the building. I don't need to remind myself that I am here, in Tibet. A truly majestic view ahead of me.
Next ; Lhasa days
