Rongbuk Monastery is located in the Shigatse area in southwest Tibet. At an altitude of about 5,100 meters, Rongbuk Monastery is the highest monastery in the world, so the scenery is wonderful. Since Rongbuk Monastery is only about 20 kilometers away from the peak of Mount Everest - the highest mountain in the world, it has become the base camp for climbing Mount Everest from the north slope, also the best place to watch Mount Everest.
In History
The full name of Rongbuk Monastery is ལ་སྟོད་རྫ་རོང་ཕུ་གདུང་བ་ཆོས་གླིང་དགོན་། in Tibetan(called Ladoe Za Rongbuk Dungwa Choeling Monastery), which is a monastery belonging to the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingma sect is an ancient sect of Tibetan Buddhism also closest to India's native Buddhism. Followers of the Nyingma sect believe that Padmasambhava is the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. He practiced in the Mount Everest area in the 8th century and left many miracles and legends. Rongbuk monastery is founded by Master Padmasambhava. It is said that he practiced in the cave here for nine years and reached a state of enlightenment.
The old temple of Rongbuk Monastery was built near Master Padmasambhava's practice cave, and his hand and footprints, stone pagodas and other relics are still preserved. The most recent building was built in 1902 under the leadership of the Red Sect Lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. It is larger in scale and has more than 20 halls. More than 300 monks and nuns once lived here.
Layout
When it was built in 1902, Rongbuk Monastery was once large in scale. There were more than a dozen affiliated temples, some of which were still in Nepal, but were later destroyed due to historical reasons. Today there are eight subsidiary temples below the main temple, including a nunnery. In 1983, the temple underwent large-scale construction.
The entire Rongbuk Monastery was built on the mountain, being a five-tier building, but only two floors are in use now. The main entrance of the Main Hall enshrines the statues of Sakyamuni and Padmasambhava. In particular, the 6-meter-tall gold-plated statue of Guru Rinpoche statue is the most precious treasure there. Also the mural paintings inside are worth admiring. In front of the main hall is a theater with carved beams and paintings. During important festivals, local people come here to watch lamas perform. The Mani stone pile outside is often used by photographers as a foreground to take photos of Mount Everest. Moreover, the Mani piles under the white pagoda are where local Buddhist believers pray for good luck. There is a prayer path around Rongbuk Monastery.
Walking forward from Rongbuk Monastery, you will see the famous Rongbuk Glacier Zone, which is the largest among all the hundreds of glaciers formed around Mt. Everest. Three glaciers at the north of Mt. Everest flow south and congregate at a river traversing the foot of the monastery. This is called 'Rongbuk River', and the water there is freezing.
How to Get to Rongbuk Monastery?
Rongbuk Monastery is 335 kilometers away from Shigatse City. You can get to Shigatse from Lhasa by road first. The road from Lhasa to Shigatse and then to Rongbuk is well-paved.
It lies at an altitude of 5,100 meters, the gradual altitude acclimatization at a slow pace is extremely important. Thus, a journey from Lhasa to Rongbuk Monastery and Everest Base Camp will take eight to ten days to complete, depending on your exact travel itinerary. From Everest Base Camp Tours, You might find one tour that can suit you well. Rongbuk Monastery is just near to the Everest Base Camp and there's a good point to take photographs of Mt. Everest.
Best Time to Visit Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery is open for visitors from April to November. The best time for viewing the true majesty of Mt. Everest is from late April to early June, and from early September to October, with little rain, and the air is bright and clear. The weather is ideal for enjoying Mt. Everest and oxygen content is competitively sufficient to acclimatize the high altitude.
November is also a good time with the highest visibility in the air, without any rain at all, despite it being a little chilly, you can explore this region to your heart's content. Besides, budget travelers prefer November. Not only can they benefit from the year-low flight/train ticket and discounted hotels but also enjoy the most intense religious atmosphere and diverse Tibetan festivals afterward.
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