Tibetan Monasteries and Thangka Art

IN the western suburbs of Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province right at the foot of the Fengling Mountain lies the exquisite Labrang Monastery.

- AH REN

A world renowned institution of higher learning for Tibetan Buddhism, it is one of six major monasteries of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism.

In Qinghai Province, the waters of the Longwu River that flow through the province’s southern part renew and nourish a mystical region called “Rebkong” in Tibetan language. This artistically fertile land which is well known for thangka art is also the homeland of various beautiful ethnic cultures. The vibrant ambiance of Rebkong can be felt throughout the design and adornment of resplendent temples, study rooms containing multitudes of spiritual books, brightly lit thangka art studios, and abundant love by the local people for ethnic culture.

Labrang Monastery

The name “Labrang” means “mansion of the living Buddha master.” It was built in 1709, the 48th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). More than just a singular temple building, it is a sprawling complex of buildings matched only by the Potala Palace of Lhasa. All together the monastery contains over 90 buildings with nearly 10,000 rooms, including six colleges, 16 Buddha halls, 18 Nangchen (living quarters of the living Buddhas), living quarters for monks, platforms for teaching Buddhist sutra, a sutra printing house, pagodas, and over 24,000 Buddha statues. At the peak of its glory, over 4,000 monks resided here, and it was the political, religious, and cultural center of the region sharing borders with the neighboring provinces of Qinghai and Sichuan.