Located to the west of Lhasa, on the far side of the Lalu Wetlands around 9km from the Potala Palace, Drepung Monastery sits on the slopes of Gambo Utse Mountain, at an altitude of around 3,800 meters above sea level. Built in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa, Jamyang Choge Tashi Palden, Drepung is the largest monastery in Tibet and was the original set of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. From a distance, the monastery vaguely resembles a heap of rice lying on the hillside, and the name “Drepung” actually means “collecting rice”.
One of the Great Three Gelug university monasteries in Tibet, the other two being Sera and Ganden, Drepung Monastery is the most important monastery of the Gelug tradition. The monastery was actually named after the sacred temple of Shridhanyakataka, which lies in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on the southeastern coast of the country. After its construction, the monastery became the seat of the first Dalai Lamas, until the 5th Dalai Lama moved to the Potala Palace in the 17th century.
Drepung is the largest Buddhist temple in Tibet, in its heyday 10,000 monks lived within its walls. One falls from one sight to another, from one admiration to another, and after a while it is difficult to absorb the names and actions of the many different Deities. I unfurled the Hungarian flag in the Drepung temple and the first photos were taken with it. Kalsang, a deeply religious Gelukpa, tried to explain everything conscientiously. My muscles were working hard at this altitude from the many stairs, I felt very tired, Drepung is about 3,800 meters, but this fatigue gradually disappeared during the day. Construction is underway in the temples, I see the government is focusing on the immaculate condition of the temples, maintenance, and new buildings are being built. The new buildings are strikingly similar to the old ones, I would not notice that they were built recently. They mostly build monastic residential buildings in the temple complexes, the sanctuaries with their relics that are hundreds or thousands of years old have not changed. Today was a great experience.
