Labrang Monastery is located in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province.
The full name of Labrang Monastery in Tibetan is: "Gaden Xia Zhu Darji Zhaxi Yisu Qi Ju Lang", which means Ju Xi preaches and builds the auspicious right-sided temple. It is called Tashiqi Temple for short and is generally called Labrang Temple. Labrang Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is known as the "World Tibetan Academy". At its peak, there were more than 4,000 monks, and it opened to tourists in 1980.
Labrang Monastery is said to have 108 monasteries in history and is the political and religious center of the Gannan region. Labrang Monastery retains the best Tibetan Buddhist teaching system in the country. The oldest and only existing Buddhist hall in the entire temple was built during the period of the first Jamyang Living Buddha. It is the Buddhist hall of the Lower Tantra College next to the main sutra hall. At the 2018 China Northwest Tourism Marketing Conference and Tourism Equipment Exhibition, it was shortlisted for the "100 Magical Northwest Scenes" list.
The collection of cultural relics in Labrang Monastery
Buddha statues: There are many kinds of Buddhist statues in Labrang Monastery. There are both large Buddha statues with a height of 20 meters, and small statues that are not even taller than an inch. In terms of the types of materials, they include gold, silver, copper, brass, pure gold, ivory, coral, agate, crystal, jade, sandalwood carvings, ceramics, colored glaze, medicinal clay sculptures, clay sculptures, etc.
Ancient books: Labrang Monastery is amazing with its rich collection of books and scriptures. There are more than 80,000 existing scriptures, which can be divided into more than 10 categories: philosophy, esoteric Buddhism, medicine, statements, history, biography, craftsmanship, astronomy, grammar, rhetoric, etc. Among these books, there are original works by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect, as well as Kangyur and Tengyur (the Tripitaka) translated and compiled from Indian Sanskrit.
Murals and Thangka paintings: The paintings in Labrang Temple include murals and Thangka paintings. The murals include Buddha Jataka, Buddhist scripture stories, Buddha statues, historical figures, medical illustrations, etc. They are brightly colored and full of life. breath. Thangka paintings are scroll paintings, painted on cloth and very delicate. The art of embroidery in Labrang Monastery is also unique. Silks and satins of various colors are cut into various shapes required, such as Buddha statues, figures, birds and beasts, landscapes, flowers, plants, insects and fish, etc., and embroidered on the curtains. The bottom is padded with wool and other materials, giving it a strong three-dimensional feel.
The above content refers to Baidu Encyclopedia-Labrang Monastery