Ganden Monastery is attainable on a day trip from Lhasa

Ganden Monastery is attainable on a day trip from Lhasa. It lies 45km east of Lhasa, on the Sichuan highway. It is the most dramatically situated of the main temples near Lhasa, high up on the ridge.
The Ganden Monastery has been re-established in Karnataka, India by the Tibetan population in exile. The Ganden Monastery is located in the Tibetan settlement at Mundgod. This settlement of Tibetan refugees is the largest of its kind in India and was first established in 1966, from land donated by the Indian government.

 
In the Tibetan settlement near Mundgod are the Ganden and the Drepung Monastery. In 1999 there were in total about 13,000 residents. The Tibetan settlement consists of nine camps with two monasteries and one nunnery. They have established a credit bank for farms, an agricultural institute and a craft center. Modern technology and communication technology are being introduced. The curriculum of the Ganden Monastery remains similar to the teachings of the pre-1959 Ganden Monastery.

Ganden Monastery was completely destroyed during the rebellion of 1959. In 1966 it was severely shelled by Red Guard artillery and monks then had to dismantle the remains.[4] Most of Tsongkhapa's mummified body was burned but his skull and some ashes were saved from the fire by Bomi Rinpoche, the monk who had been forced to carry the body to the fire.[6] Re-building has been continuing since the 1980s and the "red-painted lhakang in the centre is the reconstruction of Ganden's sanctum sanctorum containing Tsongkapa's reliquary chorten called the Tongwa Donden, 'Meaningful to Behold.'

The word "Ganden" means "joy" in Tibetan and is also the name for the "western heavens" where the Maitreya Buddha (the Future Buddha) resides. Ironically, this Monastery was heavily damaged during Cultural Revolution bombings, making the place somewhat depressing. However, work is underway to repair the damaged buildings of the monastery, so that Ganden Monastery is being quickly restored to its must-see status as one of Lhasa's most impressive monasteries. Seek out the Golden Throne Room of the Dalai Lama. Placed upon the throne, there is a cloth bag containing his yellow hat that he left behind in his escape to exile in India.

Midui Glacier in eastern Tibet is the paradise of ice and snow

Listed as "One of Top Six Most Beautiful Show Caves in China" by China National Geography Magazine, Midui Glacier in eastern Tibet is the paradise of ice and snow. Midui Glacier is most famous for its giant ice basin, for its frequent snow avalanches, and for its giant ice cascade as long as 700-800 meters. In the upstream of the glaciers are the arch-shaped ice formations. You can see all the ice lakes, fields and villages there. It's a natural park of glaciers.

 
Midui Glacier is located in Yupu Township, about 100 kilometers east of the county seat of Bome. It is the lowest altitude above sea level in the world. Its altitude is from 2,400 meters to 6,800 meters.

The glacier is passes through four distinct regions: snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes and villages and temples coexist in harmony. It looks as if Nature's hand itself had taken up a brush to paint a splashed-ink landscape.

The Sho Dun Festival in Tibet

The Sho Dun Festival , commonly known as the Yogurt Festival  or Banquet is an annual festival held at Norbulingka or "Jewel Park" palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

The festival is celebrated in the summer, from the 15th to the 24th of the 5th lunar month - usually about the middle of August, after a month's retreat by the monks who stay within their monasteries to avoid walking on the emerging summer insects and killing them.
Partying at Sho Dun Festival, Norbulingka, 1993

It began in the 16th century with a banquet given by the lay people for the monks featuring yoghurt. Later on, summer operas, or Lhamo, and theatricals were added to the festivities. The operas, "last all day with clashing cymbals, bells and drums; piercing recitatives punctuating more melodious choruses; hooded villains, leaping devils, swirling girls with long silk sleeves. In the past dancers came from all over Tibet, but today there is only the state-run Lhasa Singing and Dancing Troupe."

The beautiful grounds of the Norbulingka are filled with partying groups shielded from the wind by gaily coloured hanging walls of rugs and printed canvas. There is much feasting and visiting between family groups and bonfires are common at night.

 

Shoton Festival originates from the 11th century. It had been exclusively a religious observance until the 17th century when the Great 5th Dalai Lama introduced the Tibetan opera into the celebration, making it a nationwide gala. Being the largest and most mysterious festival on the roof of the world, Shoton Festival serves as a showcase to rooted tradition, appealing culture and great piety of the Tibetan people. Global travelers, who urge to discover more than just turquoise lakes and snow capped mountains on this forbidden land, are drawn to Tibet at this time of year.

The festival mainly consists of 3 parts - Great Buddha Display, Tibetan Opera Show and Horsemanship & Yak Race Show. In combination they represent the best of Tibetan religion, culture and tradition.

Namchabarwa is a mountain in the Tibetan Himalaya

Namcha Barwa or Namchabarwa  is a mountain in the Tibetan Himalaya. The traditional definition of the Himalaya extending from the Indus River to the Brahmaputra would make it the eastern anchor of the entire mountain chain, and it is the highest peak of its own section as well as Earth's easternmost peak over 7,600 metres.

 
Namjagbarwa is the 15th highest peak in the world having an altitude of 7782 merters above the sea level. It stands the interior of the bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.In face of Indian Ocean, the peak refects an obvious vertical landform. Tropical rain forest in its valley and above the snow line, it is a snow world.

Namjagbarwa has existed for over 700 million years, with a great abundance of mountain eco-systems, mountain vegetation forms and bio-communities compressed in one tight area. The first piece of land in the Himalayan region to emerge from the sea, it deserves its title of Number One among the Eastern Himalayan Mountains.

The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon is regarded by some as the deepest canyon in the world

The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon or Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon or simply the Tsangpo Canyon or Tsangpo Gorge, along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, China, is regarded by some as the deepest canyon in the world, and is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon in the United States, making it one of the world's largest. The Yarlung Tsangpo (Tibetan name for the upper course of the Brahmaputra) originates near Mount Kailash and runs east for about 1700 km, draining a northern section of the Himalayas before it enters the gorge near downstream of Pei, Tibet near the settlement of Zhibe. The canyon has a length of about 150 miles (240 km) as the gorge bends around Mount Namcha Barwa (7782 m) and cuts its way through the eastern Himalayan range. Its waters drop from about 2,900 m near Pei to about 1,500 m at the end of the Upper Gorge where the Po Tsangpo River enters. The river continues through the Lower Gorge to the Indian border at an elevation of 660 m. The river then enters Arunachal Pradesh and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra.

 

The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is the highest green land on earth. Green mountains have snow-covered peaks poking through the clouds. Visitors come to see the area's mountain belts, unusual plants and animals, and mysterious cultures. The Yarlung area is home to many living species. Preliminary statistics show that there are over 3,768 varieties of plants, 680 varieties of large fungi, 232 species of birds 31 species of amphibians, 2,000 kinds of insects and over 230 rust fungi.
The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon stretches 496-kilometers long and averages over 5,000 meters deep. It measures 21-kilometer wide and even at the narrowest part it has a depth of 5,138-meters. It is the deepest, narrowest and longest canyon of the world as compared to the other grand canyons in the world; Furthermore, the natural landscape is also unmatchable in the world.

The abundant rainfall and the geomorphology of high mountains and deep gorges in this area have helped to form lots of glaciers, snow-slides and waterfalls, lakes and springs that, together with the roaring river, make up the attractive and fanciful natural sights.

A varied and changeable climate makes the canyon a place of different landscapes. Areas lower than 1,100 meters above sea level and with annual mean temperature of 16? to 18? have tropical rainforests and a variety of crops, including thermophilous crops and tropical and subtropical trees. Between 1100 meters and 2,400 meters above sea level with an average mean temperature of 11? to 16?, there are evergreen and broad-leafed trees. Between 2,400 meters and 3,800 meters with annual mean temperature of 2? to 11?, there are conifer forests, winter crops and timber production. At 3,800 meters above sea level, the climate is cold and moist and there are large mountain meadows and good-quality highland pastures in the summer.

Siling Lake is a lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region

Siling Lake , is a lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region, to the north of Xainza. Doijiang is located near the lake. Administratively it belongs to Xainza County and Baingoin County of the Nagqu Prefecture.

The temperature at the lake is an annual average of -3 to -0.6°C, the maximum annual temperature 9.4°C. The average rainfall is 290 millimeters per year, 90 percent of which falls in the months of June to September, often in the summer as hail.
The areas of Selincuo Lake are larger than that of Namucuo Lake, and it becomes the largest saltwater lake in Tibet autonomous region now. The increases of air temperature and surface temperature lead to ice and snow melting, permafrost melting, which are the main reasons resulting in the lake rising. The above analysis shows that EOS/MODIS data are suitable to discuss the areas changes of lakes.

Ganden Monastery is located on Wangbur Mountain

Ganden Monastery is located on Wangbur Mountain, on the southern bank of Lhasa River in Tagtse County, 47 kilometers (29 miles) from Lhasa City. It stands at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) above sea level! It is one of the earliest and largest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, and stands atop of the six famous temples of Gelugpa - a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Its significance as a religious, artistic, political and cultural relic led to it being preserved by the National Key Cultural Relic Preservation scheme in 1961, and is now known as being one of the 'Three Great Temples', together with the Sera Monastery and the Drepung Monastery . Every year, one of the grandest of Buddhist activities - Buddha Painting Unfolding Festival - is conducted here, attracting thousands of visitors and disciples.

 

The main temple and over seventy buildings were completed that year, 1409, in strict adherence with the Indian monastic rules. The next year, on a hill behind Ganden, Tsongkhapa unearthed the treasure conch shell that Maudgalyayana had buried there. All the prophesies about Ganden Monastery were thus fulfilled. In 1416, Tsongkhapa gave the Ganden conch to his disciple, Jamyang Chojey ('Jam-dbyangs Chos-rje bKra-shis dpal-ldan) (1379-1449), who founded Drepung Monastery ('Bras-spungs dGon-pa) later that year. The conch has been kept at Drepung ever since. Another close disciple, Jamchen Chojey (Byams-chen Chos-rje Shakya ye-shes) (1354-1435), founded Sera Monastery (Se-ra dGon-pa) in 1419, the year Tsongkhapa passed away.

Ganden Monastery is comprised of two colleges, Jangtsey (Byang-rtse Grva-tshang) and Shartsey (Shar-rtse grva-tshang), meaning North Peak and East Peak respectively. According to one tradition, they were named after their location to the north and east of Ganden's main temple.
The Ganden Monastery Colleges Jangtse and Shartse have also been reestablished in India. They are named The Ganden Jangtse College and The Gaden Shartse Monastery. They are located in Karnataka. The three main sights in the Ganden Monastery are the Serdung, which contains the tomb of Tsongkhapa, the Tsokchen Assembly Hall and the Ngam Cho Khang the chapel where Tsongkhapa traditionally taught. The monastery houses artifacts which belonged to Tsongkhapa.