Home » Tibet China » Tibet, part III

October 2003 - August 2004

Tibet, part III

Brett Voegele
2005-11-19 14:02:35

Displayed times (last time: )

headed for Drepung Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa. I scouted out some rooftop vantage points in the dark and then hunkered down to await the start. Flitting lights on the hillside across the ravine looked like fireflies, as all the people with flashlights tried to find a spot from which to take in the festivities. Around 7 AM monks with horns passed, and groups of monks hung the ubiquitous red, white, and blue plastic on a large hillside frame. Another procession of monks soon followed - some with banners, others with drums, and many shouldering the large, white, snake-like rolled thangka. To the accompaniment of horns the thangka was slowly raised into position over the frame and the protective curtain obscuring the Buddha image was pulled aside. The thangka was enormous - about 30 meters square. People proceeded to walk by and throw khatas on the thangka, while the air was thick with smoke from all the juniper offerings. I followed the Tibetans around the kora, and then relaxed in the grass watching them eat, drink, and enjoy the celebration.

An hour's walk had me on a tractor transport headed to Sera Monastery - also on the outskirts of Lhasa. As had been the case at Drepung, the road near the monastery was closed, requiring that one walk for about 30 minutes to actually reach the monastic area. I tried to skirt the ticket booth by a shortcut that I knew, but was caught. I told the guy that it was crazy to charge me on a festival day - especially since I wasn't going to enter any of the buildings (I'd seen them several times before). He wouldn't back down, so I simply turned around and walked away. I wasn't in the mood to give to the government that day, so I walked down the road a ways, climbed a mountain for about an hour, and dropped down into the monastery from behind - free admission. Again, I was there to see a large thangka on display, and to mingle with the devout Tibetans on this day of celebrations.

...