My 2023 - Gansu, Qinghai Travel Notes (13) The Sunshine of Labrang Monastery
The most famous in Xiahe is undoubtedly the "Labrang Monastery", as one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Labrang Monastery is known as the "World Tibetan Academy", Labrang is a variant of the Tibetan "Lazhang", meaning the residence of the living Buddha master. Chosen by the first Jamyang Awang Zongzhe on the banks of the Daxia River, it was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The monastery is large in scale and strict in hierarchy, and is the center of religion, culture, and education in the Amdo region.
The morning sun shines on the entire Daxia River valley, illuminating the majestic golden dome and white walls of Labrang Monastery, with the smoke of mulberry trees lingering and the sky pure. Entering the monastery, you enter the world of religion. The entire monastery is composed of Buddhist halls, scripture halls, white pagodas, and monk houses, extending from high to low from the top of the mountain, with bright yellow, crimson, dark brown, and pure white intense colors, constructing a magnificent architectural complex.
Until outside the Buddhist hall, you see the Tibetans who are prostrating themselves in a line, raising their hands and falling down, their bodies rising and falling, the sound of "papapa" knocking echoing endlessly.
The periphery of the monastery is the longest prayer wheel corridor in the world, with more than 2,000 large and small prayer wheels arranged in the corridor, with a circumference of 3 kilometers, the believers holding Buddhist beads, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and turning the prayer wheels quickly and forcefully, their steps firm and forward, day after day, year after year, perhaps for them faith is innate... Everything is so quiet, the noon sun shines on Labrang Monastery, it's time to leave.
Leaving Xiahe on the expressway, turning from G816 to G75, arriving in Lanzhou three hours later, thus the 2,500-kilometer Gansu-Qinghai loop is successfully completed.
Labrang Temple play guide, [View] It is recommended to stay in the scenic spot, [Interesting] The natural scenery is infinitely good, [Cost-effective] Looking forward to your participation, there may be surprises when walking on the boardwalk.
Labrang Temple, 3,200 meters above sea level, formerly known as Tashiqi Temple, is one of the six major monasteries of the famous Tibetan Buddhist Gelu (Huangjia) in China. Labrang is a translation of Tibetan language, meaning the place where the Buddha Palace is located. The oldest and only Buddha Temple built during the first Sega wooden-like living Buddha period in the entire temple. , is the Buddha Hall of the Xiaxu College next to the Great Jingtang. Shouyi Temple is the tallest building in the temple, which is a six-story palace. All Fanyu in the temple are made of local stone, wood, soil and nettles, and rarely use metal. The overall building is wide and narrow, similar to trapezoidal, external stone and inner wood, There is a proverb that says, “no wood outside, no stone inside.”
It is worth going! The entire temple area covers a large area and there are many buildings. I did some homework before I went, otherwise it is not easy to understand the history and interior of each building. Tickets are 40 yuan, you can wait for free explanations in the designated area.
If you have the opportunity, you must see the sunrise of Labrang Monastery. The process of dark valleys and monasteries being slowly illuminated by a ray of light is so beautiful. After watching the sunrise, you can return to the street, just in time for the monks to queue for morning classes, hurrying to gather into a red scorpion.
In the afternoon, I arrived at Labrang Temple. If I have time, I can take pictures before the sun goes down. The best location is outside the West Parking Lot, crossing the Hongcang Bridge and crossing the hillside after the 316 National Road. In addition to tourists, there are monks who will come to sit and sit, just forming a perfect picture.
The beautiful tone, words can no longer express