Drepung Monastery: A Temple You Won't Want to Leave

As the morning mist lingers in the Lhasa River Valley, the first rays of sunlight climb the folds of Mount Gephel. - Chanting flows down from the cliffs 3,800 meters above sea level, awakening the sleeping prayer wheels. As the copper bells whisper with the wind, the 100,000 Buddha statues of Drepung Monastery awaken, bathed in the golden morning light. - The world's largest Tibetan Buddhist academy is like a thangka dropped from heaven, concealing the secrets of six centuries within the folds of its fluttering prayer flags. - The March wind on the Tibetan Plateau scatters the monastery's peach blossoms. - Looking back from the top of Mount Gephel, the white buildings of Drepung Monastery resemble scattered prayer beads, strung together by the breaths of pilgrims. - When the last monk's robe disappears behind the crimson door, you will suddenly understand the whispers of the wind passing through the prayer flags. - It turns out that the answers to the three thousand worlds are hidden beneath a sun-warmed stone slab in this cloud-top monastery. - 🎈Drepung Monastery Travel Guide: Recommended Highlights🎈 ✅Tsokchen Great Hall (Contour Lines of the Soul) ✅Ganden Podrang (Echoes of the White Sanctuary) ✅Sunbathing Terrace (Sunbathing on a Giant Thangka) ✅Nechung Monastery (The Hidden Theater of the Dharma Protector) ✅Morning Prayers (7:30-9:00) ✅Debating Time (15:00-17:00) - 👉Zen Living: Life's Markers on the Kora ✅The Philosophy of Clockwise Walking: Start from the western prayer flag forest and collect the blessings of 108 mani piles along the 5 km kora. The cliff at the third bend naturally forms the profile of Tara. The spring water seeping from the crevices during the rainy season is considered holy water. - ✅Sutra Elevator (A Must-Know for Modern Pilgrims): While the newly built cable car on the east side is convenient, if you want to encounter ascetic monks meditating in the cliffside caves, choose the southern wild path trodden by mountain goats—the crushed agate embedded in the stone steps are trail markers left by those who came before. - 📸Practical Sanskrit Sounds ✅Light and Shadow Barrier: The opening hours of the main hall are shortened in winter. It is recommended to bring a headlamp to explore the deep halls. ✅Oxygen Poems: Portable oxygen cylinders can be rented at the monastery clinic, but let the mountain wind measure your lung capacity first. ✅Sweet Tea Code: At the teahouse west of the debating courtyard, tell the lady boss with round glasses "Qasu Ma" for yak yogurt with double the cream. - 🚙Transportation Information ✅Bus: Take bus No. 24 to "Drepung Monastery Station." After getting off, walk clockwise for about 25 mins (400m elevation gain), or take a Tibetan motorcycle (approx. CNY 20) directly to the west gate. ✅Taxi: Varies depending on your location (Lhasa taxis have a high starting fare). - 💰Ticket Information ✅CNY 60/person - ⏰Opening Hours ✅8:00 to 17:30, last entry at 17:00 - ⚠Travel Tips and Precautions ✅Best Photo Time: It is recommended to go in the morning or afternoon when the light is soft and the photo effects are better. ✅Clothing Suggestions: It is recommended to wear light-colored clothes when taking portraits. Do not wear skirts, hats, or sunglasses when entering the temple. ✅Precautions: Drepung Monastery is a place for meditation and pilgrimage. Do not make loud noises and disturb the monks and devotees.