Samye Monastery in Shannan, Tibet

Sitting at the foot of Mount Hepo Ri in Dranang County, Shannan Prefecture, Samye Monastery, founded in the 8th century by King Trisong Detsen, is thought to be the first Buddhist temple and college in Tibet, and has combined Tibetan, Han and Indian architectural styles altogether. Highly reputed as the birthplace of Tibetan culture as well as the cradle of Tibetan Buddhism, Samye Monastery has loads of stunning highlights and awesome tour experience for you as follows:

Explore the unique structure in Tibetan Buddhist history - Samye Monastery’s layout is based on Buddhist cosmology: it is a mandalic 3D replica of the Tibetan Buddhist universe. The temple complex has been constructed according to the principles of geomancy, a concept derived from India. At the center of the Tibetan Buddhist universe lies a mythical palace on top of Mt. Meru, which at Samye is symbolized by the main temple (Utse). Surrounding this is a great “ocean”, with 4 great island-continents, and 8 subcontinents; worship the 4 Large Chortens and other sacred sites - the complex is bounded by an oval wall pierced by 4 gates and topped by 1,008 small chortens that represent Chakravala, a ring of mountains that surrounds the universe. The wall itself has been hastily restored, using a large amount of concrete; observe the great debate of Samye - watching monks debating Buddhism sutras and scriptures with exaggerated gestures and logic arguments; attend Tibetan Festivals - if possible, you can also time your trip with Weisang Festival and Cham Dance Festival held in Samey Monastery; climb to Mt.Hepo Ri - capturing the stunning vista of Samey Monastery, Tsedang Valley and Yarlung Zangbo River; make a detour to Chim-puk Hermitage - visit the hermitage caves used by Buddhist lamas; trek from Ganden to Samey - the best hike takes you through some of the Yarlung Zangbo Valley’s most beautiful landscapes and scenery, etc.

Just name a few above, please follow our in-depth guide below and make the most of Samye Monastery tour.

To make sure you can enjoy the best Samye Monastery travel experience available, we kindly prepare the latest and most easy-to-use Samye Monastery travel and tour guides below for you. From Samye Monastery history to day tour planning, etc., you can follow the insider’s tip and won’t miss the single moment when visiting the first Tibetan monastery in Lhoka.

After visiting Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple and acclimatizing properly to the high altitude, you can travel from Lhasa to Samye Monastery to explore the mysterious Tibetan Buddhism culture and appreciate the unique buildings and precious Buddhist relics. Or trekking from Ganden to Samye Monastery is also a nice try! Check the top 4 highly recommended Tibet tours with a short visit to Samye Monastery.