Tag Archives: Temple

Swayambhunath, Kathmandu, Nepal – Monkey Temple

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A trip to the Buddhist temple, Swayambhunath, was on the agenda for day two. The temple is also known as the Monkey Temple and is located atop a hill west of Kathmandu. We took a stroll there early in the morning.  As soon as we reached the temples, we saw a monkey hanging off a Buddha statue. The climb up to the massive white stupa was tiring, but we were entertained by the monkeys and store vendors along the way.  Although strikes were still on, tickets were still required to be purchased. The top offered wonderful views of Kathmandu valley. The highlight is the stupa, surrounded by prayer wheels, a religious symbol which we requires to be walked around in a clockwise direction. Also atop the hill is a Hariti Temple, a gompa (monastery) plus small statues and stupas.

Smaller stupas at the base of the hill leading up to the temple
The east entrance gate at the base of the hill with stairs leading up to the temple
A monkey foraging at the base of a Buddha statue
A monkey mask painting on a stone leading to the temple
Buddha statues flanking the entrance to the Monkey Temple
The stairs leading to the large stupa visible at the top
The gold gilding of the stupa seen from the lower stairs
View of Kathmandu from the hill
At the base of the Swayambhunath stupa with the Buddhist Vajra thunderbolt visible
Monkey sitting on the Buddhist Vajra thunderbolt
Various monkey and other animal masks for sale
A monkey sitting on the tip of a temple roof with the main stupa visible in the background
A monkey jumping from a smaller red stupa
A monkey sitting at the base of a stupa watching below
A monkey eating a square of ice-cream with a Buddha statue visible in the background
Stone statue of Dipanker Buddha
Stone Buddhas with the large stupa visible in the background
Six metre high figure of Sakyamuni, the past Buddha
The prayer wheels and oil candles surrounding the large stupa
Travis feeding some eager monkeys bits of banana
Three sitting monkeys
Travis feeding a smaller monkey some banana
Look of disappointment, the banana is all gone
A standing Buddha statue at the base of the hill
A Buddhist monastery at the base of the hill

Related posts:

  1. Bodhnath Stupa, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal – the largest stupa in Nepal
  2. Kathmandu, Nepal – temples and cows
  3. Patan, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
  4. Kathmandu, Nepal – Durbar Square
  5. Lhasa, Tibet – Jokhang Temple and Drepung Monastery

Lhasa, Tibet – Jokhang Temple and Drepung Monastery

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Jokhang Temple and Barkhor square

Our first day in Lhasa started with a visit to the Jokhang Temple, walking through the bustling Barkhor Bazaar to the Barkhor square.

By the time we arrived, there were already many pilgrims outside the temple, performing prostrations whilst two large incense burners omitted strong smoke of juniper.

As we lined up amongst the tens of Tibetan pilgrims, we couldn’t help but notice the strong smell of yak butter which we later found is used to burn offering candles. The Jokhang Temple is quite a large complex. We entered courtyard first and our guide Demdah advised that this was the place where important examinations (e.g. to determine the highest lama) sat by Gelugpa Iamas are held.

After the courtyard, we entered the inner prayer hall which is surrounded by a number of chapels.  The prayer hall contained six statues – two of Guru Rinpoche, three Jampa statues (Maitreya, the Future Buddha) and the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara.  We would learn later that these statues would be seen repeatedly across many of the monasteries in Tibet.

As per Buddhist tradition, we encircled the surrounding chapels clockwise.  Inside the chapels, we were also required to encircle the room clockwise. There were numerous chapels, including the Chapel of Tsongkhapa (the founder of the Gelugpa order, probably the most renown of the four orders), Chapel of Chenresig, Chapel of Jowo Sakyamuni (said to be the most important shrine in Tibet, as it houses the Present Buddha image at age twelve and is thought to have been brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng, the Chinese wife of King Songstan Gampo – the founder of Tibet). After visiting a number of chapels, we headed to the roof of Jokang to view the surrounding areas, including views of Barkhor Square and Potala Palace.

Barkhor Bazaar selling scarfs and prayer flagsA Tibetan lady selling various itemsHandheld prayer wheels
Handheld prayer wheelsBarkhor Bazaar located around Jokhang TempleTraditional Tibetan jewellery being sold inside Jokhang Temple
An image of Buddha in the courtyard of Jokhang TempleThe roof of Jokhang TempleThe exterior wall of Jokhang Temple
A snow lion on the corner of Jokang TempleOne of the smaller rooms surrounding the main templeThe upper open courtyard of Jokhang Temple
Gilt roof of the Jokhang TempleSnow lion found on the gilded bellPrayer and prostration in front of the Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Square also know as Barkhor SquareFlowers leading to Jokhang Temple in Barkhor SquareJokhang Temple from Barkhor Square

Drepung Monastery

After Jokang, we headed to Drepung Monastery, located about 8km from Lhasa, stopping by Potala Palace to pick up tickets for the next day (there is a 2000 limit on ticket numbers per day for the popular attraction). Drepung was founded by one of Tsongkhapa’s disciples in the 15th century and is part of the Gelugpa order. It has a number of key buildings, we visited Ganden Palace, the main assembly hall (with a large Jampa statue), the kitchen (used to cook the lamas meals) and a meditation hut where we were told some monks meditate for years on end. It was our first monastery and I enjoyed walking around and admiring the beautiful deep red and white buildings with their wispy white curtains.  We had a lunch of rice and vegetables at the Monastery restaurant next door before heading to our next destination.

Typical braiding of coloured scarfs found on door ringsTibetans turning prayer wheels at Drepung MonasteryBuddhist stupa outside Drepung Monastery
Colourful rock murals of Buddha with protectorEntrance to the chapel at Drepung MonasteryYak butter lamps used for lighting and an offering
Inside the Drepung Monastery chapel, statues can be seen on the wallInside the Drepung Monastery chapelStatue of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa school
The Yellow Hat worn by the Gelugpa sect of BuddhismInner buildings of the Drepung MonasteryGanden Phodrang, the residence of Dalai Lama
High walls of the Drepung MonasterySteps leading to a chapel in the Drepung MonasterySonya with a background of traditional Buddhist colours
A colourful hallway at Drepung MonasteryA colourful inner court at Drepung MonasteryA colourful inner court at Drepung Monastery
Four animal friends, an elephant, a monkey, a rabbit, and a bird positioned on top of each otherAn interesting paintingCommonly seen in Tibet, a Dharma chakra (Wheel of Life) with pair of deer
One of the many colourful doorsThe inner courtyard of Drepung MonasteryA snow lion on the corner of the Drepung Monastery, commonly seen in Tibet

Related posts:

  1. Gyantse to Shigatse, Tibet – Tashilhunpo Monastery
  2. Ganden Monastery kora, Lhasa Tibet
  3. Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet – Debating Monks
  4. Lhasa to Gyantse – Yamdrok-tso and Gyantse monastery
  5. The Winter (Potala Palace) and Summer (Norbulinka) Palaces of the Dali Lama, Lhasa, Tibet