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Drigung Til Monastery

Drigung Til Monastery

  • Location: Xuerong River, Mozugongka County, 138km east of Lhasa
  • Altitude: 4,465 meters
  • Opening Hours: 6:00-16:30
  • Admission Fee: CNY 45 (tips: Reference only; Please check the attraction’s actual price on the day of your visit.)
  • How to Get There: (1) You can take a shuttle bus at the Lhasa Eastern Suburb Station. (2) You can hire a private car from Lhasa to Drigung Til Monastery. The one-way trip covers 138km and takes around 3.5 hour.
  • Best Time to Visit: Apr. to Oct. would be the best time to visit.

About Drigung Til Monastery

Close to Tidrum Nunnery is Drigung Til Monastery, a monastery impossibly grafted onto a sheer cliff face. Drigung was originally the base of the Drigung sub-order of the Kagyu sect, dating from the 12th century. At one time it housed over 500 monks. Going up switchbacks in a Landcruiser, you may pass a donkey bearing a body under a blanket: Drigung Til Monastery is reputed to have the best sky burial ceremony of all. It is said that bodies dispatched here will not fall down into the "3 bad regions".

   

The monastery is intriguing due to its location: it offers stupendous views over the entire valley-- you can clamber up to the gold-capped roofs for better vistas. You can visit Drigung and move on, or you can stay the night at the monastery guesthouse, which has 2 12-bed dorms. Although the dorms are basic, the atmosphere is special, as you are staying inside the monastic grounds. Monks supply hot water in Thermoses, and there’s a small shop selling packaged noodles, candles, and drinks. Some group tours camp out in the valley below.

   

Previously, a large sign was posted near the monastery entrance saying that visitors are not permitted to watch-sky-burial at Drigung. Obviously, photographers sneaking shots with long lenses have upset the monks to the point where they have banished visitors from the sky burial site altogether. Whether this situation will change remains to be seen-- ask your guide or driver. The sky burial site is located about 600 meters from the Gompa-- a trial to get there starts just below the monastery and then turns uphill. The site is a large fenced-off area surrounded by prayer flags.

   

Anyway, this scene is not for the faint of heart-- it’s a grisly ritual where bodies are chopped into pieces and fed to the vultures.

Recommended Tour Itineraries Including Drigung Til Monastery

As a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Drigung Til Monastery is famous for its sky burial ceremony. Once you reach Lhasa, you can spend some time visiting Drigung Til Monastery. Check the top 4 highly recommended Tibet tours.

Tourist Attractions Nearby Drigung Til Monastery

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