Tibet Monastery Tour - Architectural Art of Tibet Monasteries

The architectural art of Tibet monasteries is rich in folk flavor and present a distinct feature of times. Most of the monasteries on Tibet Plateau were constructed against the mountains and looked pretty magnificent. Tourists making a Tibet monastery tour would have the chance to explore the architectural art of different monasteries in various regions.

Tibet Monastery Tour – Brief Development of the Construction of Tibet Monasteries

The construction of Tibetan Buddhism monasteries was developed from the simple niche to the Buddha hall and then the monastery construction. The first series of monasteries were constructed with the support of Tubo Kingdom. Later, the pilgrims and followers of Tibetan Buddhism started to donate and collect money for the construction of monasteries.

Samye Monastery is said to be the first monastery in the history of Tibet. Its arrangement and construction model greatly influenced the constructions of the subsequent monasteries. Toling Monastery, located in Tsada County of Nagri Prefecture, followed the construction style of Samye Monastery. Tourists making a Tibet monastery tour would find that most of the monasteries were constructed against the mountains and the components of the monasteries formed a magnificent well-proportioned construction complex.

Tibet Monastery Tour – Main Characteristics of Architectural Art of Tibet Monasteries

Most monasteries in Tibet adopted the main hall centered arrangement since the end of 10th century. The monasteries in Shigatse Prefecture, including Sakya Monastery, Sharlu Monastery, Palkhor Monastery and Tashilhunpo Monastery and Mindroling Monastery in Shannan Prefecture, as well as Ganden Monastery, Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery are all constructed around the centered main Buddha hall.

The main Buddha hall was used to worship the Buddhas at the early date. With the developing of Tibetan Buddhism, the main Buddha hall also acted as the hall where the lamas study the Buddhism scripture since the number of lamas in the monasteries keeps increasing. Tourists making a Tibet monastery tour would find that the reddish brown and white are the main colors of the monasteries. Actually, these two colors are widely adopted for they looked solemn and respectful.