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[2025 Zhanang Attraction] Travel Guide for Samye Monastery (Updated Jul)

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Historic buildings
Located at the foot of the sacred Habur Mountain in Zhanang County, Shannan Prefecture, Samye Monastery is the first monastery in Tibet where monks were ordained. It is also the first monastery in the history of Tibetan Buddhism that has all the "Buddha, Dharma, and monks". It is known as "a masterpiece in the history of architecture". The temple architecture is laid out according to the Buddhist cosmology. The main hall has three styles: Tibetan, Han, and Indian. Therefore, Samye Monastery is also known as the Three-style Temple. Samye Monastery is based on the Udapo Monastery built by the ancient Indian Brahma Dynasty in Magadha. It was led by Guru Padmasambhava and took 12 years to build. Legend has it that when it was first built, Trisong Detsen was eager to know what it would look like after it was built, so Padmasambhava conjured up an illusion of the temple from his palm. After seeing it, Trisong Detsen couldn't help but exclaimed "Samye" (meaning "unexpected" and "unimaginable"), and later used this exclamation as the name of the temple. After generations of expansion and renovation, Samye Monastery covers an area of more than 4,900 square meters. The main hall is surrounded by eight small islands, the Sun and Moon Hall, and four towers in white, black, green and red. In the morning or evening, you can climb to the top of the sacred mountain Habu Ri next to Samye Monastery to overlook the panoramic view of Samye Monastery and the Yarlung Zangbo River. The scenery is endless. The entire temple of Samye Monastery faces south and consists of two major parts: the central hall and the surrounding corridors. The layout of the temple is designed according to the structural layout of the "Great World" in the Buddhist scriptures and built according to the mandala of Tantric Buddhism. The main body of the Wuzi Hall represents Mount Xumi, the center of the world. The four halls around the hall represent the four continents and eight small continents in the four salt seas. The Sun and Moon Halls symbolize the Sun and Moon Halls in the universe, and the temple walls symbolize the Iron Mountain outside the world. Four red, white, green and black towers are built around the main hall to subdue all evil spirits and demons and prevent natural disasters and man-made disasters. There is a gate on each side of the wall, and the east gate is the main gate. The Wuzi Hall and the corridors are full of murals. In addition to conventional themes, there are also well-known "History of Tibet" murals on the middle corridor of the wall. The paintings record the ancient legend of the Rakshasa woman and the monkey god who gave birth to the Tibetans, and Tsongkhapa founded the Gelug Sect. The mural is 92 meters long, magnificent and magnificent, and is known as the "History of Painting" in Tibet. In addition, there are "History of Samye Monastery" on the first and second floors of the main hall, and "Biography of Padmasambhava" and other murals on the south side of the second floor, all of which are exquisite and cannot be missed. On the south side of the east gate, there is a square columnar stone stele erected during the reign of Trisong Detsen. It is simple in style and has no patterns or other decorations. This is the famous "Samye Xingfo Zhengjian Stele". The inscriptions are all in ancient Tibetan, recording the oath made by Trisong Detsen in 779 AD to support Samye Monastery. In the porch of the main hall, there is also a large bell cast by Trisong Detsen's wife and prince. The temple is surrounded by lush trees, lush forests, lingering rivers and canals, and black-necked cranes leisurely foraging. It can be said to be a fairyland and a plateau oasis.
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Samye Monastery Address:

Sangyezhen, Chanang, Shannan, Tibet, China

Samye Monastery Recommended sightseeing time:

2-3 hours

Samye Monastery Phone:

0893-7836423
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