Samye Monastery is on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river about 40km west of Tsetang. To visit the Samye monastery, there is a new bridge between the Samye and Tsetang. Before you need to take a ferry – a locally built, flat bottomed boat powered by a small tractor engine to reach Samye monastery. There is an entrance fee of 40 RMB per person.
History Of Samye Monastery
Samye was the first Buddhist monastery to be built in Tibet. It was probably founded during the 770s under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen, with the work being direct by Master Padmasambhava and Abode Shantarakshita, the two Indian masters the king had invited to Tibet to help consolidate the Buddhist faith.
Samye is located at the foot of one of Tibet’s four holy mountains, Hepori, on which in ancient times, king Trisong Detsen was supposed to have had his palace. The king was born in the nearby village of Drakmar, further up the valley, where a small shrine marks the spot.
Samye is a significant monastery because it was here, toward the end of the eighth century, that the first Tibetans were ordained as monks by the Indian abbot Shantarakshita. Seven men from noble families choose to test to be monks and are known even today as the ‘Seven Examined Men.’
The original buildings erected in the eighth century were burned down in 986 and rebuilt by the famous translator Ra Lotsawa.
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Highlights Of Samye Monastery
The monastery was designed on the Odantapuri temple plan in present-day Bihar-India and mirrored the universe’s basic structure as described in Buddhist cosmology. The central temple represents Mt. Sumeru, the mythical mountain at the centre of the cosmos.
Around it are four temples called ‘Ling’, representing the four continents situated in the vast ocean to the north, south, east, and west of Sumeru. To the right and left of each of these temples are two smaller temples called ‘Ling-Tren’, representing the sub-continents of the Buddhist Universe.
The entire monastery was surrounded by a circular wall topped with numerous small stupas. Four great stupas in four colours (white, red, blue and green) stood fascinating the south-east, south-west, north-west and north-east corner of the main temple, respectively.
Two small chapels are representing the sun and moon. Samye is a significant monastery because here is the place where the Buddhist text translated from Chinese and Indian language into the Tibetan language.
As you stand in front of the entrance to the main temple in Samye, you will notice an ancient stele on the left. The stele is the record of a proclamation made in 779 by king Trisong Detsen, officially proclaiming for the first time Buddhism to be the state religion of Tibet.
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Samye Monastery Travel Guide
If you are plan to visit Tsetang or Yumbu Lakhang, don’t miss the Samye monastery. The Samye is the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, and staying overnight in Samye is a great choice instead of staying in cities.Â
You can walk around the Samye monastery where many local peoples were doing the kora in the evening. Moreover, even the chapels were close; you can walk inside the compound of the Samye monastery and explore around (Don’t forget to bring your cameras).
The Samye monastery is just in the Samye town. It’s a small town, and you will feel the authentic Tibet experience. There is only one hotel that owns the Samye monastery and serves very basic facilities. You will find local Tibetan typical restaurant in Samye town.Â
It is also well worth climbing Hepori, the small mountain east-south of Samye monastery. It affords an excellent view of the monastery and valley and the vast Brahmaputra basin.
Chimphu hermitage is another exciting place to visit after the Samye monastery. The hermitage is just half an hours drive and two hours hike to the hermitage.
Read more about Chimphu Hermitage Here.
