Drepung was founded in 1416 and grew into the largest and wealthiest monastery of the Gelug school. At its height it housed as many as seven thousand monks, organized into colleges each with its own assembly hall, kitchens and dormitories. It was effectively a monastic city, and from the sixteenth century it was closely tied to the political authority of the Dalai Lamas.
The complex
The buildings climb the slope of Mount Gephel, whitewashed and densely packed. The main assembly hall, the Ganden Potrang, and the Coqen Hall are the highlights, along with the kitchens, where enormous copper cauldrons once fed thousands daily. The courtyards and the narrow passages between the colleges are the most atmospheric parts, and the view from the upper terraces looks straight back across the Lhasa Valley.
The kora
A pilgrimage path circles the monastery on the hillside above it, passing rock paintings, carved prayer stones, small shrines and viewpoints. It takes about two hours at a walking pace, with a steady climb at the start. Local pilgrims walk it with offerings and incense, and it is one of the most rewarding half days in the Lhasa area.
The Shoton thangka
Every year at the Shoton festival, a huge appliqued thangka is carried up and unrolled on a sloping platform on the hillside for a few hours at dawn, in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims. If you are in Lhasa in August, this is the event to plan around, and it fills the site before sunrise.
Practical notes
Drepung is about eight kilometers west of central Lhasa and is usually visited in a morning, often combined with Sera Monastery in the afternoon. The walk from the car park to the upper halls is uphill at 3,700 meters; allow time and take it slowly. Dress with covered shoulders and knees, and remove hats inside the halls.
