Tsurphu lies in a narrow valley in Tobgyal county, about seventy kilometres west of Lhasa, where the road leaves the Kyichu river and climbs between bare hills. It is the principal monastery of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, and it has been the seat of its head, the Karmapa, since the monastery was founded at the end of the twelfth century. That makes it, for a great many Tibetan Buddhists, one of the most important sites outside the Lhasa valley itself.
The monastery
The complex is built up a hillside on both sides of a stream, reached by a bridge and a long flight of steps. The main assembly hall holds the usual array of images, thankas and rows of cushions for the monks, and behind and above it are the reliquary stupas of previous incarnations - large silver and gilt structures in sealed chapels, which are the reason pilgrims come. There are also colleges for the study of the scriptures and the tantras, quarters for the monks, and a printing and painting tradition. Parts of the monastery were destroyed in the twentieth century and the site has been rebuilt and repopulated since the 1980s, so what you see is a working institution rather than an intact medieval one.
The festival
Once a year the monastery holds a large masked dance ceremony, in which monks in elaborate silk costumes and painted masks perform a sequence of ritual dances in the courtyard to the sound of long horns, drums and cymbals. It draws pilgrims and villagers from the surrounding valleys in large numbers, it lasts for several days, and it is one of the more accessible opportunities to see Tibetan monastic dance outside Lhasa. Dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar, so they move with respect to the international one and need checking each year.
Practical notes
Tsurphu is about two hours from Lhasa by road, and the drive itself - up the Kyichu valley and then into the side valley - is part of the trip, with villages, yak pasture and good mountain views. There is no public transport to the gate, so a car and driver, or a seat on an organised trip, is the practical option. The monastery charges a modest admission and takes two hours at an unhurried pace; parts of it close at midday. Remember that this is an active religious institution: walk clockwise around the buildings and stupas, do not photograph inside the chapels without permission, and dress modestly.
