Our visit to Songzanlin Monastery

14 September 2024

A trip to Shangri-La would have been incomplete without a visit to the ancient Songzanlin Monastery or the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery.

Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple complex in Yunnan Province. The main monastery structure is built in Tibetan style with a gilded copper roof similar to the one at the Potala Palace in Lhasa and is hence called the “Little Potala Palace”. The other buildings in the complex are built-in Han Chinese style. It was originally build between 1679-1681 by the Great 5th Dalai Lama, got destroyed during the revolution of 1966 and was rebuilt in 1982.  It used to house over 2000 monks but the temple is now home to about 700 monks belonging to the Gelug Yellow Hat sect.

As we walked to the entrance of the monastery, we could see the homes of the monks located on the sides of the main monastery building.

The quarters for the monks on the sides of the Songzanlin Monastery.

The entrance is quite grand. A pair of stone lions guards the gate like most Chinese temples. On the top, there are symbols of Buddhism, a pair of male and female deer at either side of an eight-spoke dharma wheel.

Main entrance to the monastery.

Dharma Wheel and a pair of deer on top on the entrance.

View of the monastery from the gate.

To get to the monastery, we had to climb a flight of stairs. The monastery is at an altitude of 3880 meters. At this high altitude, climbing the stairs is not easy due to the thin air. This is similar to what we experienced at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We still had a can of oxygen leftover from our visit to the mountain. It was put to good use although we could have made do without it.

       Walking through the main street lined with traditional Tibetan style buildings with white walls and colourful windows.

146 steps to the top.

Like us, many people were resting and catching  their breath on the way up. Once at the top, we were rewarded with excellent views of the surrounding, including Lamuyangcuo Lake.

View of Lamuyangcuo Lake from the Songzanlin Monastery.

After enjoying the views, we went to see the insides of the main buildings. The monastery houses many religious items and precious Tibetan Buddhist cultural relics, such as gilded statues of Sakyamuni, palm-leaf scripts, thangka (religious tapestries), and golden lamps.

Our guide told us the rules for visiting this religious site.

• No photo-taking inside the building.
• No wearing of sun glasses inside.
• Step over and not on the threshold when entering.
• Always go clockwise direction when visiting.
• No loud voices.

      

Large terrace with the religious buildings.

We went to the Prayer Hall where we saw many glided statues. This included the deities and dharma protectors, and also statues of Past Buddha, Current Buddha and Future Buddha. Thanks to our guide, we learned that the Future Buddha sits with legs down, like in chair while the Current Buddha sits crossed legged.

Unfortunately, no photography is allowed, so I could not take photos to show these statues.

The altar is decorated with many yak butter lamps and floral pieces carved from yak butter.

Front view of the main assembly hall.

In the main assembly hall, we also saw rows of seats where monks can gather to chant and meditate in unison. There is capacity for thousand of monks but currently only 700 monks reside in monastery.     

There are murals on the side that told the story of Buddha. It was good that we went with a guide. He told us story of how a prince in India named Siddhartha Gautama saw death, sickness and old age. He decided to give up his lavish lifestyle and embraced a life of extreme self-discipline to seek enlightenment and founded Buddhism.

We visited the last hall on the right where our guide explained the Buddha’s teachings. The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.       
View of the Shangri-La city in the distance.

One of the many chapels on the side.

One of the must do when visiting the monastery is to spin the prayer wheels. There are several prayer wheels in Songzanlin Monastery, varying in size and arranged in a harmonious layout.

The prayer wheel inside the monastery should be spun clockwise. Each spin is equivalent to reciting a scripture once, making it an excellent way to repent past deeds, ward off disasters, and accumulate merit.

Spinning the prayer wheel at the Songzanlin Monastery. We are to spin this wheel 3 times.

More prayer wheels.

Group photo before leaving the monastery.

After visiting the monastery, we went to take a walk around Lamuyangcuo Lake. This must not be missed as there are several spots for taking excellent photos of the Songzanlin Monastery reflected on the surface of the lake. 

The colourful roofs and structure of the monastery are best viewed from the path to the lake.

Zoomed in photo of the roof structure.

We took the lakeside boardwalk where are two panoramic viewing platforms for admiring the monastery: one is at the center of the lake and the other is near Conggulong Village, which is considered the best viewpoint.  

View of the monastery and its reflection on the surface of the lake at the first viewing platform.  

We could see dark clouds approaching!

By the time we walked to the second viewing platform, the wind had picked up forming ripples on the surface.

Taking photos at the second viewing platform at the center of the lake.

The dark clouds rolling in add drama to this photo. Will there be a storm soon?

Walking back to the monastery along the boardwalk.

After enjoying the views of the monastery and the lake, we had to return to the entrance of the monastery to take the shuttle bus back to the entrance of the Songzanlin Monastery Scenic Area. Fortunately, there was no rain, despite the dark sky.

From there we returned to Dukezong Ancient Town, about 8 km away.