The Ganden Sumtseling Tibetan Monastery in Yunnan
The Ganden Sumtsenling Monastery, also known as Sungtseling and Guihuasi is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city of Zhongdian at elevation 3,380 metres (11,090 ft) in Yunnan province, China. Built in 1679, the monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan province and is sometimes referred to as the Little Potala Palace.
The Ganden Sumtseling Tibetan Monastery
The Ganden Sumtseling Tibetan Monastery in all its glory reflecting the first rays of the sun in the morning. The Lake reflected is glory in its unfrozen part. This is truly Shangrila. One of the largest Tibetan Monasteries it is also called the Little Potala Palace.
At an altitude of almost 3400 m it stands at the banks of the Lamuyang Tso in North Western Yunnan in a region which used to be historically a part of the Kham region of Tibet.
In January early morning the Lake was semi frozen and I guess the temperature was around minus 10 and the sun was just rising. The bird life of the Lake was just waking up and stir around.
The first rays of the sun reflecting off the Gilded domes of the Monastery was indeed a sight to behold.
Originally built by the fifth Dalai Lama more than 500 years ago. Destroyed by the Communists in 1959. Rebuilt again in the 1980s.
A true marvel of Tibetan Architecture with its enormous size and gilded domes.
Kiki’s Blog
Stories from the Himalayas
Five years ago the Galwan Valley was in the News for the wrong reasons after a deadly clash between the Indian and Chinese Armies in the Valley located in Ladakh lead to many deaths on the contentious Border between the two countries in wake of continued Chinese intrusions into Indian territory.
This area along the Shyok River, of which the Galwan Nallah or the Galwan River which forms the Galwan Valley has been off limits to Civilians since long but now the Indian Government has decided to open up the area for Civilians and we were amongst the First Civilians to venture into this beautifully desolate part of the Eastern Karakorams in Ladakh. Earlier Civilians could only venture upto the Village of Shyok from where the Shyok River takes a U turn and flows in a Northerly direction.