Samye Monastery
The First Buddhist Monastery Built In Tibet, Founded In The 8th Century; Major Historical And Cultural Site Protected At The National Level · Shannan, Tibet
The first Buddhist monastery ever built in Tibet, founded in the eighth century on a sandy plain beside the Yarlung Tsangpo river, and the place where Tibetan Buddhism effectively began. It was built under King Trisong Detsen with the help of the Indian masters Shantarakshita and Padmasambhava, and legend says the demons who tore down the walls by night were subdued by Padmasambhava's tantric power. The whole complex is laid out as a model of the Buddhist universe: the great central temple represents Mount Meru, the axis of the world, with four coloured stupas at its corners, temples for the sun and moon, and an encircling wall studded with more than a thousand small chortens standing for the outer ocean. The central hall rises through three storeys built in Tibetan, Chinese and Indian styles, one above the other, and its murals include a long painted history of Tibet. Samye was also the site of the famous eighth-century debate that set Tibetan Buddhism on its Indian rather than Chinese course. Pilgrims circle the walls, and a hill behind the monastery gives a view over the whole mandala.
Samye Monastery, Zhanang County, Shannan, Shannan, Tibet, China
Daily, roughly 9:00-16:00, with chapels often closing in the early afternoon (check). Foreign visitors need a permit and a guided tour.