Bonner Monastery in Nagqu Prefecture

Bonner Monastery, also noted as Baden Bonner Monastery, is located in Nagqu Prefecture. It is an ancient monastery belongs to the Kargyu Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was listed as a key cultural relic under the state protection on 2006.

Bonner Monastery in Nagqu Prefecture – Architecture

Bonner Monastery is mainly composed of the chapel, Buddha hall, porch and the prayer-wheel rotating hall. The main building of Bonner Monastery is a traditional blockhouse style construction, which is quite similar to the Tibetan style architectures in Ngawa District in Sichuan Province. The decoration of the construction presents a typical Han style from the China central plain. The original constructions in Bonner Monastery were well preserved. Tourists making a Tibet tour and willing to pay a visit to this monastery will have the chance to explore the long history through the ancient architectures.

Tourists making a visit to Bonner Monastery would find that it is mainly composed of three squares and rectangles. The prayer wheel rotating room was constructed in the expanding period later. Bonner Monastery covers an area of 1780 square meters. The existing main palace covers an area of 500 square meters.

Bonner Monastery in Nagqu Prefecture – History

It is said that Bonner Monastery has a long history even longer than that of Samya Monastery (it is widely regarded as the first monastery in Tibet) in Shannan Prefecture. Actually, the construction time of Bonner Monastery is quite close to that of Jokhang Temple (one of the most noted monasteries in Tibet, which has been listed as a must-visit spot in Lhasa) in Lhasa.

Bonner Monastery is one of the few ancient constructions in Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is also the one and only key cultural relic under state protection in Nagqu Prefecture. Both its long history and ancient construction are of great attraction for tourists making a Tibet tour and interested in exploring the Tibetan culture.

Bonner Monastery in Nagqu Prefecture – Murals

Just as most of the other monasteries on Tibet Plateau, the walls in Bonner Monastery are also decorated with exquisite murals. The archeologists said that the murals here mainly present a distinctive painting style of Chinese Ming Dynasty. Bonner Monastery is of great significance for the research of the history, religion and art of ancient Tibet.