Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet, covering 200,000 square metres, and has four dratsang. It was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa.…
Drepung Monastery, Lhasa · Nat Krause · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Admission
- ¥60
- Opening hours
- 9:00–16:00. Debates start at 14:30. Most of the halls are closed in the afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Getting there
- Take a bus and get off at Drepung Station (哲蚌寺站), then walk up the Dangba Road for about 30 minutes.
- Guidebook rating
- 4 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 536. Open in Google Maps
About Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet, covering 200,000 square metres, and has four dratsang. It was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa. The Great Assembly Hall is the main building, supported by 183 pillars, and can hold 9,000 monks for scripture recitation. The Tsomchen Hall houses the stupas of the first to fourth Dalai Lamas.
Ganden Phodrang, formerly known as Tusita Palace, meaning 'Palace of the Heavenly Gods', is located inside Drepung Monastery. It was home to the first to fifth Dalai Lamas before they moved to the Potala Palace.
Tips from the guidebook
- 1. Sera Buddha Festival (Shoton): On the first day of the Lhasa Shoton Festival in early August, the most important event is the unveiling of the giant thangka at Drepung Monastery. Crowds fill the streets before dawn, and every minibus is packed with people heading to Drepung. Cars can only park at the foot of the hill, and the walk to the monastery is long.
- 2. Blessings: At sunrise, a giant thangka about 100 metres long unrolls across half the hillside. Tibetan pilgrims crowd beneath it, press the edge of the thangka to their heads and pray. Then they queue for a long time to walk around the thangka and receive a blessing by having their heads touched.
- 3. Photography: The best place to photograph the giant Buddha is the platform on the mountain opposite.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Drepung Monastery cost?
Admission to Drepung Monastery is ¥60, as listed in the 2025 guidebook. Prices can change; check the official channel before you go.
What are the opening hours of Drepung Monastery?
Drepung Monastery is open 9:00–16:00. Debates start at 14:30. Most of the halls are closed in the afternoon..
How do I get to Drepung Monastery?
Take a bus and get off at Drepung Station (哲蚌寺站), then walk up the Dangba Road for about 30 minutes.
How long should I spend at Drepung Monastery?
Plan on 2–3 hours for Drepung Monastery.
Where is Drepung Monastery?
Drepung Monastery is in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Southwest of China.
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A treasure house: you may never see as many treasures in your lifetime as you will here, and seeing them up close is dazzling. The Potala Palace stands on Marburi Hill (玛布日山) in the centre of Lhasa and is the largest and most complete palace complex in Tibet. 'Potala' is Sanskrit for 'Sacred Place of Avalokiteśvara'. In the 7th century, the Tubo king Songtsen Gampo built a palace here when he married Princess Wencheng of the Tang dynasty; it was later destroyed in wars. It was rebuilt in the mid-17th century. It covers 130,000 square metres and was the political centre of the former Tibetan region. The whole complex is built of wood and stone, with gilded roofs. The Potala Palace was the venue for large-scale religious and political ceremonies. The 7th floor at the top was the Dalai Lama's winter residence; because it receives abundant sunlight, it is known as the East and West Sunlight Halls. The Red Palace houses mainly the stupa tombs and chapels of successive Dalai Lamas, with eight stupa tombs in total, distributed among the halls on different floors. The largest is the stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama, 14.85 metres tall and inlaid with diamonds and agate. Its topmost gem, a heavenly bead (tianzhu), is said to be the most precious in the world. There is also a gem said to have formed in an elephant's brain, and the gold used alone amounted to 5,500 kilograms. This hall is the largest in the Potala Palace, covering 725 square metres.
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