001 Architecture Sera Monastery Sera Monastery stands in the northern suburbs of Lhasa. It was founded in 1419 by Shakya Yeshe, who had previously entered the Ming court, at Tsongkhapa’s command. The monastery later grew into a Gelug institution with a great assembly hall and three colleges that once housed several thousand monks. Drawing on old texts, monastic scholarship, a monk’s recollections, and historical photographs, this entry traces the Ming court’s gifts, the eighteenth-century succession of its halls, the procession of the flying vajra, the life of debate, and images of the monastery from the early twentieth century onward. Ming dynasty Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region Sera Monastery · Saila Monastery · Sela Monastery →
002 Architecture Tashilhunpo Monastery Tashilhunpo Monastery, also written Zhaxilunbu Monastery, is located in Samzhubzê District, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region. Founded in the Ming dynasty, it is a Gelug monastery of Tibetan Buddhism and has served as the seat of successive Panchen Lamas. Drawing on sources including the General Gazetteer of Ü-Tsang, Illustrated Study of Tibet, Travel Notes from Kham, and Imperially Commissioned Brief Account of the Gurkha Campaign, this article traces the monastery’s founding history, layout, Panchen Lama stupas, damage and repairs during the Gurkha war, and includes twentieth-century historical photographs. Ming dynasty Samzhubzê District, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region Tashilhunpo Monastery · Zhaxilunbu Monastery · Tibetan Buddhism →
003 Architecture Drepung Monastery Drepung Monastery stands on the southern slope of Mount Gephel Utse, west of Lhasa. Founded in 1416 by Tsongkhapa’s disciple Jamyang Chöjé Tashi Palden, it contains a former villa renamed Ganden Podrang in 1518 and made an office of the Tibetan local government in 1642. The surviving complex centers on Tsokchen Hall, Ganden Podrang, and four colleges; this entry presents Qing-to-Republican records and photographs from 1920 to 1936. Ming dynasty Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region Drepung Monastery · Biebeng Monastery · Bulaibang Monastery →