Ani Tsankhung is the main nunnery in Lhasa and one of the few religious institutions in the old city that is both a working community of nuns and a public place. It lies a few minutes' walk south-east of the Barkhor, in a courtyard off a lane, and the entrance is easy to miss: a plain door, a small courtyard, and then the assembly hall and the nuns' quarters. The name is usually rendered as Tsankhung, referring to the site's association with the medicinal plant that once grew there, and the community is said to have been founded in the fifteenth century.
The nunnery
The complex is small and, unlike most of Lhasa's monastic buildings, it was not destroyed in the twentieth century, so its halls and courtyards retain their original arrangement. The main assembly hall holds images of Tara and of Guru Rinpoche, with thangka on the walls, butter lamps, drums and long benches for the nuns, who follow the Gelug tradition and recite in Tibetan. Visitors are welcome in the courtyard and, respectfully, in the assembly hall, but this is a place of study and worship rather than a sight, and quiet behaviour and a small donation are the appropriate response.
The tea house
The nunnery's distinguishing feature is its sweet tea house, which occupies a room off the courtyard and is open to the public. It is plain - long tables, benches, a counter - and it serves sweet milk tea by the cup or the flask, along with simple food including momos, noodles and thukpa, cooked by the nuns and their lay helpers. Income from the tea house supports the community, and the room fills with a mix of pilgrims, local residents, monks from other institutions and the occasional visitor. The sweet tea is poured continuously and the bill is settled at the end.
Practical notes
The nunnery is open through the day and charges a small admission; the tea house keeps roughly day-time hours and can be closed without notice for religious observances. Photography inside the halls is normally not permitted, and worshippers should not be photographed without asking. Foreign visitors travel in Tibet on a permit and with a guide, who can explain the protocols. Allow about an hour, and combine it with the Barkhor circuit and the Jokhang, both within a few minutes' walk, since the nunnery sits just off the pilgrim route.
