Sakya Monastery

Turnoff for the road to Sakya at km 5028, 24 km east of Lhatse	Ruins along the road to Sakya Monastery	From the Friendship Highway to Sakya is 25 km by decent road	Along the road to Sakya Monastery
Tibetan man plowing a field the old fashioned way	Sakya Monastery - principle seat of the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism	The fortress-like southern monastery at Sakya was founded in 1268	Northeast Tower, Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery - elevation 4280m (14,041 ft)	Sakya Monastery Shunggo (main entrance)	Main entrance, Shunggo, of Sakya Monastery from the eastern courtyard	Phuntsok Ling on the north side of the eastern courtyard, Sakya Monastery
Tibetan laborers on their lunch break, Sakya Monastery	Eastern courtyard of Sakya Monastery	Chinese lion at the main entrance, Sakya Monastery	Chinese lion, Sakya Monastery
Chinese lion in front of the main entrance, Sakya	Chinese Lion with the Phuntsok Ling chapel	Eastern courtyard, Sakya Monastery	Large bronze incense burner, Sakya
Monk talking with Tibetan women, Sakya	Faded banners over the passage to the inner courtyard, Sakya Monastery	Prayer wheels and murals in need of restoration in the passage leading to the central courtyard	Central Courtyard (khyamra) Sakya Monastery
Entrance to the Dukhang - main assembly hall, Sakya Monatery	Painting on the main assembly hall, Sakya	Entrance to the Silver Chörten Hall, Sakya Monastery	Dukhang, main assembly hall, Sakya Monastery
Sakyapa (red hat) monk, Sakya Monastery	Monks in the central courtyard (khyamra) Sakya Monatery	Dukhang, main assembly hall, Sakya Monastery	Phurkhang Chapel, Sakya Monastery
Murals in Phurkhang Chapel, Sakya Monatery	Tamdrin (Hayagriva) Sakya Monatery	TibetOct08 3431.jpg	Steep staircase leading to the second level, Sakya Monatery
Inner courtyard (khyamra) from the upper level, Sakya Monatery	Chapel of the Silver Chörtens, Sakya Monatery	Sakyapa buildings are recognized by the red-white-grey color scheme	TibetOct08 3440.jpg
Upper level gallery, Sakya Monatery	View east from the top of Sakya Monastery	The first monastery at Sakya, founded in 1073, is in ruins on the north hillside	5 chörten (stupas) on the north side of Sakya
Small hillside monastery on the north side of Sakya	A new monastery under construction on the north side of Sakya	Village on the north side of Sakya	Small monastery on the north side of Sakya
The north side of Sakya looks rather interesting but the guide did not want to give me time to go there	Roof of Sakya Monastery	Prayer pole (darchen ringpo) Sakya	Climbing down from the roof of Sakya Monastery
Flags flying over Sakya Monastery	Tibetans in front of large prayer wheels, Sakya	Sakya Monastery	Protector chapel (Pakspa Lhakhang) Sakya Monastery
Pakspa Lhakhang, Sakya Monastery	"Damaged in the 10 years since 1966"	Sakyamuni Buddha, Sakya Monastery	Turning the Dharma Wheel, Sakya
Modern Monk, Sakya	Main building of Sakya Monastery	Sakya Monastery	TibetOct08 3469.jpg
TibetOct08 3470.jpg	TibetOct08 3471.jpg	Monk cells, Sakya Monatery	Old monk, Sakya Monastery
Northwest corner of Sakya Monastery	Looking east along the northern wall, Sakya Monastery	Village and new monastery on the north side of the Trum-chu River, Sakya	Set of 5 stupas on the hillside north of Sakya Monastery
Small hillside monastery, Sakya	Mix of ruins and restored buildings north of the Trum-chu River, Sakya	Traditional houses near Sakya Monastery	North wall, Sakya Monastery
Northeast tower of Sakya Monastery with Sakya village	Eastern courtyard with the main building of Sakya Monastery	Sakya Monastery	Phuntsok Ling on the north side of the eastern courtyard, Sakya Monastery
East wall, Sakya Monastery	Northeast Tower, Sakya Monastery	Our driver helping another driver fix his Land Cruiser	I talked the guide into letting me have 30 minutes for north Sakya, better than nothing
Main Street, Sakya village	Sakya house	Trum-chu River separating south Sakya on the right from north Sakya	North Sakya
Stupas of north Sakya	Stupas of north Sakya	I had just enough time to climb up through the village to the 5 chörten and back through the hillside monastery	Part of the new north Sakya Monastery
The Five Stupas of North Sakya	North Sakya village	The Five Stupas of North Sakya	The Five Stupas of North Sakya
Small restored temple, north Sakya	Village of North Sakya	Climbing up to the Five Stupas of North Sakya	If I had more time, I could have gone up the path to the right to the ruins of the 1073 monastery
North Sakya chörten	North Sakya chörten (N28.909/E88.0176)	View from the stupas of the village of Sakya	An isolated stupa (N28.910025/E88.018035)
The small hillside monastery I had seen from Sakya Monastery	Not wanting to upset the guide, I didn't take the time to go inside	This may be Labrang Shar, but I'm not sure	Steep wall of the hillside monastery with prayer flags
View across the river to Sakya Monastery	The small hillside monastery at north Sakya (N28.909/E88.018)	Sakyapa buildings have this distinctive paint scheme	Labrang Shar? Sakya
Hillside village, North Sakya	Monastery at north Sakya (not the ancient one founded in 1073)	Labrang Shar? at north Sakya	Leaving Sakya after a too short of stay
Sakya School	Sakya Hospital	The Sakyapa color scheme painted on a mud brick wall	Tibetan peasants working in the fields outside Sakya
Village, Sakya Valley	Tibetan farmer plowing with a horse-drawn plow	Tibetan farmer plowing the field after harvest	Village between Sakya and the Friendship Highway
The road from Sakya back to the Friendship Highway	Roadside village, Sakya Valley	Woman with a basket walking along the road past grazing sheep	Sakya Valley
Rotel Pause, Tibet	German truck of the tour company Rotel I used in West Africa	Resa Gompa Monastery near the junction of the Friendship Highway