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Home > TME Community > Share Your Work > Street, Documentary and Photojournalism > Kumbum Monastery, Qinghai
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Kumbum Monastery, Qinghai
Started January 7, 2012 @ 4:31am by Mohsin
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Mohsin
Posts: 414 |
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| Kumbum Monastery, Qinghai | January 7, 2012 @ 4:31am | Kumbum monastery is the third most sacred place, after Lhasa and Drepung, in Tibetan Buddhism. It is said that Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, was born here in 1357. The Kumbum monastery was founded in 1583 by the third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588) in a narrow valley close the village of Lausar; i.e. currently a county of Qinghai province of China.
Kumbum Monastery is actually itself a small town; consist of four monastic colleges, a lot of temples to whom many legends are attached and houses which are mostly occupied by the monks living and studying there at Kumbum.
Among four monastic colleges the largest is the Debate College or Faculty for Logic, the Shadupling Dratsang. Gyüpa Dratsang, the second monastic institute is Tantric College, or Sangngag Dechenling Datsang was founded in 1649. In 1711, the new Tantric College was built called, Ngagpa Dratsang. The fourth college at Kumbum is the Kalachakra College, Dükhor Dratsang or Dukor Dratsang Rigden Losel-ling. It was founded in 1820. Monks at this college also study astrology and receive the Tsirampa degree upon completion of their education
I visited Kumbum in July 2011. It was a wonderful experience. The monastery is full of ancient relics, sacred art pieces and it still preserves the originality of culture and architecture; thou the monks were bit modernize by using iphones and four wheel drive vehicles. The photography was prohibited inside temples, which a big setback for me; thou I was able to capture some shots. Moreover, it was a rainy day which didn’t allow me to capture the vibrant colors of monastery. The following pictures are sharing my visual experience at Kumbum.
These circled drums are installed at almost every Tibatian Buddhist temple. It is believed that revolving it in clock wise direction brings luck.
A female monk is passing by alters
One of the hostels at monastery.
The sacred tibatian buddhist art was made on almost each door.
I was able to shoot this photo when no monk was around.
For more photos from same series, please go to http://thevisualstories.blogspot.com/2011/12/kumbum-monastery-qingahi-prc.html
C&C are welcome
Mohsin
Lights' Narration - http://fotologue.jp/mohsin
My blog - http://thevisualstories.blogspot.com |
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Flo
Posts: 17,469 |
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| January 7, 2012 @ 8:27am | Mohsin, I love looking at your travelog photos. Since I'll probably never get to visit all the wonderful sights and scenes you've been to, I do appreciate your sharing some of your photos with us.
I didn't know that females were allowed to attend monasteries! Has this always been so, or is this a more modern development?
Flo - PPY
"May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings beating." aziza
http://photos.tonebytone.com |
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Mohsin
Posts: 414 |
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| January 14, 2012 @ 2:35am | Dear Flo, first of all very sorry for late reply. Thank you very much for liking my photos.
I guess in tibatian Buddhism women were always allowed to attend the monasteries. I remember while visiting a national forest park in Qinghai province local people showed me a monastery from distance which houses only female monks; and females from age of 8 years to 80 years lived there. Unfortunately the road to monastery was closed due to landslide otherwise I would have visited it.
Mohsin
Lights' Narration - http://fotologue.jp/mohsin
My blog - http://thevisualstories.blogspot.com |
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Wes
Posts: 8,976 |
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| January 14, 2012 @ 10:41am | Love the story behind the pictures, Mohsin. Ass Flo mentioned you do a great job of putting together a great pictorial view of the region. I will probably never get to see it in person but do enjoy traveling along with you during your photographic tours.
Wes |
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Tom
Posts: 744 |
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| January 17, 2012 @ 10:51pm | interesting series
tell me what you think, change it and post it |
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| February 12, 2012 @ 9:45pm | beautiful colors
PPY |
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assignment
Community Assignment #53
Picture Window
Due Date: September 16, 2011 |
Have you heard about the Backyard Shots Photography Guide "Street Portraiture with CraigTanner"?
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