Nalendra Monastery

As the main monastery for the Cha Sect (a sect that belongs to the Sakya Sect), Nalendra Monastery (那兰扎寺) is located in the northeast of Lhasa, which is named Phenyul Valley. Built in 1435 by the master Rongton Sheja Kunrig (1367-1449), Nalendra Monastery was largely destroyed in 1959 during the Cultural Revolution.

The branch monasteries of Nalendra Monastery spread everywhere in Tibet. The name of Nalendra Monastery originated from the ancient Buddhist learning center in India. At the beginning of the early twentieth century, there were three thousand monks living in Nalendra Monastery. In the following five hundred years, the number of monks living here remained more than one thousand.

Because lots of well-known masters studied here, Nalendra Monastery is the representative building of the Sakya sect. Before 1959, some famous pious pilgrims, such as Dampa Rinpoche, Zhenpen Nyingpo, Zimog Rinpoche, etc., headed to Nalendra Monastery to practice there. It is regarded as the lifetime practice center for the yogis. It is said that some inconceivable phenomena, such as a rainbow, will appear in the sky when a yogis pass into parinivana.

The highlight in the main hall is the statue of Rongtonpa in a glass case. What’s more, you can see some of the silver funeral stupa of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyeltsen, and the statue of Vairocana in the building. Some temples are still under construction.