Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pilgrim buses run to Ganden in the early morning from Barkhor Sq; tourists are currently
not allowed to take them but you could ask your agency. A paved road switchbacks the
steep final 12km to the monastery.
On the way back to Lhasa, pilgrims traditionally stop for a visit at Sanga Monastery, set
at the foot of the ruined Dagtse Dzong (or Dechen Dzong;
dzong
means 'fort').
A 4WD for a day trip to Ganden costs around ¥500.
Drak Yerpa
Elev 4885m
For those with an interest in Tibetan Buddhism,
Drak Yerpa
(Zhā Yèbā Sì; admission ¥30)
hermitage, about 30km northeast of central Lhasa, is one of the holiest cave retreats in Ü.
Among the many ascetics who have sojourned here are Guru Rinpoche and Atisha (Jowo-
je), the Bengali Buddhist who spent 12 years proselytising in Tibet. King Songtsen Gampo
also meditated in a cave, after his Tibetan wife established the first of Yerpa's chapels. The
peaceful site offers lovely views and is a great day trip from Lhasa.
At one time the hill at the base of the cave-dotted cliffs was home to Yerpa Drubde
Monastery, the summer residence of Lhasa's Gyutö College at the Ramoche Temple. The
monastery was destroyed in 1959. Monks have begun to return to Yerpa but numbers are
strictly controlled by the government, which carries out regular patriotic study sessions.
Sights & Activities
From the car park, take the left branch of the stairway to visit the caves in clockwise fash-
ion. The first caves are the
Rigsum Gompo Cave
and the
Demdril Drubpuk
, the cave
where Atisha (shown in a red hat) meditated. Look for the stone footprints of Yeshe
Tsogyel in the former and the fifth Dalai Lama in the latter. At one nearby cave pilgrims
squeeze through a hole in the rock wall; at another they take a sip of holy water.
The yellow
Jamkhang
has an impressive two-storey statue of Jampa flanked by Chana
Dorje (Vajrapani) to the left and Namse (Vairocana) and Tamdrin (Hayagriva) to the right.
Other statues are of Atisha (Jowo-je) flanked by the fifth Dalai Lama and Tsongkhapa. The
upper cave is the
Drubthub-puk
, recognisable by its black yak-hair curtain. Continuing
east along the ridge a detour leads up to a chörten that offers fine views of the valley.
