Larung Gar Mandala (Tanchen)
坛城
The three-tiered, golden-roofed mandala on the hilltop above Larung Gar Buddhist Academy. Monastics and lay devotees circle it clockwise day and night, making it the heart of the academy’s religious atmosphere and the best place to overlook the red houses.
Larung Gar Mandala (Tanchen) sits on the summit on the east side of the valley where Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is located. It is a three-tiered mandala-style structure. The ground floor is a corridor lined with prayer wheels, and the upper level is a shrine hall with a golden roof. In Tibetan, the mandala is called khyilkhor, symbolising the Buddhist universe. From dawn to late night, large numbers of monks, nuns and Tibetan pilgrims walk clockwise around it and prostrate themselves. It is said that circling it 108 times brings protection and blessings, which makes it the most intensely spiritual place in the whole academy. The scenic area shuttle has a stop here. The walk up from the Great Assembly Hall takes about 20 minutes, and the altitude is about 4,000 metres, so take it slowly. Around the mandala are several stone steps and terraces, where you can look directly across at the crowded red houses on the opposite slope. This is one of the classic vantage points for night photography, and the golden roof outlined by lights at night is also very photogenic. Visitors may join the pilgrims circling clockwise, quietly. Do not stop on the circuit path to take photos that block others, and photography inside the hall is prohibited. Small shops and a vegetarian noodle restaurant are near the mandala. The ground can be icy and slippery in winter. We recommend scheduling your mandala visit for the late afternoon, circling it, and then waiting nearby for sunset and the lights.
Opening hours
All day (inner hall about 08:00–19:00)
Nearby sights
- Larung Gar Buddhist Academy
- Red Houses Viewpoint
- Luoruo Town
- Sertar Sky Burial Site
- Sêrtar Town & Jinma Square
- Yarlung Monastery
- Jinma Grassland
- Dongga Monastery