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Rongbuk Monastery is located in the Shigatse area in southwest Tibet. At an altitude of about 5,154 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 cave here for nine years and reached a state of enlightenment.

Upper Rongbuk Monastery
The only Tibetan monk Ngawang Sangye at Upper Rongbuk Monastery

It is divided into two parts: the old monastery and the new monastery. The old monastery (aka Upper Rongbuk Monastery) is located about 3 kilometers south of the Everest Base Camp, at a higher altitude and closer to Mount Everest. Locals traditionally refer to the old Rongbuk Monastery as "Cha-Rongbuk," where "Cha" means rock and "Rongbuk" refers to a very tall mountain. The old monastery was built near a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated. To this day, his handprints, footprints, and stone-carved stupas can still be found there. Currently, Upper Rongbuk Monastery is not available for international tourists.

The new monastery (aka Lower Rongbuk Monastery) is located at the drop-off point for tourist vehicles heading to Mount Everest, next to Everest Base Camp (900 meters away). It was rebuilt in 1902 under the leadership of the Red Sect Lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu. The new structure is much larger in scale, with more than 20 halls and once housed over 300 monks and nuns for religious practice. Usually, when one mentions Rongbuk, it refers to Lower Rongbuk Monastery.

Layout

When the new monastery 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.

Lower Rongbuk Monastery
Lower Rongbuk Monastery

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 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 to 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.

Road to Rongbuk Monastery
Road to Rongbuk Monastery

It lies at an altitude of 5,154 meters, so gradual altitude acclimatization at a slow pace is extremely important. Thus, a journey from Lhasa to Rongbuk Monastery and Everest Base Camp will take seven to ten days to complete, depending on your exact travel itinerary. From Everest Base Camp Tours, you might find a tour that suits you well.

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 the oxygen content is competitively sufficient to acclimate to 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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