Sakya Monastery is a Buddhist monastery that is the center of the Sakya sect in Shigatse, Tibet. Translated as the “grey soil,” as the location of the monastery in Bonbori hill. Founded by Konchock Gyelpo who was also the first Sakya Trizin in 1073 this monastery is historically rich.
A boarding area and Mongolian architecture make this monastery different visually than other monasteries in Tibet. The main hall of this Gompa is huge and almost 6,000 square meters in area. With its area and strong designs, it has survived physically throughout the years. This monastery suffered some damage in the Cultural Revolution of China.
Although the architecture doesn’t look as appealing as other monasteries in Tibet, what’s important lies in it? Home to one of the largest Buddhist library in Tibet, more than 80,000 scrolls lies here. While most of the manuscripts are Buddhist sculptures, some of them are works of literature, astronomy, history, mathematics, and some of the finest Tibetan arts. The handwritten classics of this place are beautiful crimson, golden, and silver powders. In the Sutra hall here lies a scripture weighing more than 1200 pounds. This is the heaviest scripture in the world.
One of the religiously and historically important components of Sakya Monastery is the repository of scriptures in Pattra leaves. One of the ancient forms of storing information, this monastery also has about 20 volumes of such scriptures. Mainly written in Tibetan, Mongolian, and Sanskrit these scriptures are of great historical importance. Being stored in a highly cold place to prevent rotting, these relics are the treasures of Tibetan Buddhism.
Major Attractions
Main chanting hall
Sutra hall(library)
Shrines and Pagodas in its periphery
