Ü - Tibet - page 214

Abchi Lhakhang BUDDHIST, MONASTERY
Back in the lower courtyard is the monastery's main protector chapel, which houses an im-
pressive bronze statue of the protector Abchi Chudu next to the pelt of a snow leopard.
Also look out for the pair of yak horns on the pillar, after which Drigung is said to be
named (a dri is a female yak and gung means 'camp'). The name may also derive from the
hillside, which is said to be in the shape of a yak.
In the rear chapel of this building is a photo of Bachung (Agu) Rinpoche, a hermit who
lived in the caves above Drigung Til for 65 years. The monks of Drigung Til still praise
Bachung Rinpoche for his efforts in helping to rebuild the monastery.
Kora Path WALK
Drigung's hour-long monastery kora is worth a stroll for its fine valley views. A side trail
leads from a gate to the dürtro . This is the holiest sky-burial site in the Lhasa region -
people travel hundreds of kilometres to bring their deceased relatives here.
Tourists are no longer welcome to view the sky burials, though monks say that it's nor-
mally fine to hike up to the site when no sky burials are taking place. It's possible to see
the circular platform of stones where the bodies are cut up and the adjacent buildings
where the shaved hair of the dead is stored (the site is purified once a year in the sixth lun-
ar month and the hair is disposed of). If the birds are circling, don't go up to the site.
Sleeping
Kham Renjung Dromkhang GUESTHOUSE
( 152 8918 8077; Men village; dm ¥25)
The pleasant and clean pair of Tibetan-style dorm rooms here are your best bet. The squat
toilet out in the courtyard is clean, though the walls are only waist high. The rooms are
above a shop opposite the Monastery Hotel in Men village, below Drigung Til Monastery.
Drigung Til Monastery Guesthouse GUESTHOUSE
(dm ¥40)