Tibetan Architecture

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Tibetan Buddhism is the foundation of Tibetan traditional culture. It has a profound influence on the politics, economy, education, life and customs of China's Tibet, and this influence is produced through temples.

Tibetan temples were first established in the 8th century AD. Around 779 AD, under the auspices of Tubo King Trisong Dezan himself, the construction of Samye Monastery was completed in 12 springs and autumns. This was the first temple of real significance in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.

Features of Tibetan temples
1. There are many religious activities in temples, and the practice of Scripture is still a major activity. A temple is similar to a Buddhist university. The Drepung Monastery has four major parts: teaching, ordinances, academic affairs, and miscellaneous affairs. There are three Xianzong colleges and one Tantric college. These schools of Confucian Classics, called Dacang in Tibetan, belong to the highest administrative institution of the temple, "Jikang". The Dachang building consists of a sutra hall, a Buddhist hall, and a front yard. It is also equipped with a large kitchen for the lamas' food and tea and a debate room for debating classics. Below the Dhacang, there are several Kangcun villages. Kangcun is the basic-level Buddhist monk group of the temple. Its building is called Zha Xia. It consists of a monk's house, a kitchen, a small sutra hall, an inner courtyard, and various warehouses. The building is generally in the shape of a backyard, with three to four stories in height, and some as high as five to six stories. The first-level main hall of the temple is called Cuoqin, which means the Great Assembly Hall. Its shape is the same as that of Dachang, and the machine and health are all located on the second floor. The Tsoqin Hall of Drepung Monastery has an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters and can accommodate more than 10,000 monks to recite sutras.

2. In addition to the study of scriptures, the monastery also has language, writing, poetry, medicine, astronomy, and calendar education. The monastery monopolizes the cultural undertakings of the Tibetan society. The "Dingkezhacang" of Labrang Monastery in Gansu specializes in astronomy, and the "Mambazhacang" is for medicine. The Minzhulin Monastery in Shannan, Tibet is also dedicated to repairing medicine. These buildings are similar to the general Dha Cang. Others such as printing, publishing, and the manufacture of Buddha statues are also controlled by the temples. Many temples have specialized workshops. For example, the Dege Temple in Sichuan has a large scripture printing house. There are two scripture printing houses and a Buddhist statue manufacturing workshop in the castle under the Potala Palace. The Natang Temple in Xigaze is one of the three major printing houses in the Tibetan area. It contains a collection of the Natang version of the Tripitaka and a wealth of Tibetan printing plates. There are more than 2,000 printed plates in the Sakya Temple, and there are tens of thousands of historical books such as Buddhist classics, history, medicine, philosophy, drama, poetry, calendars, and celebrity biographies in the Great Scripture Hall. Some temples, such as Labrang Monastery, also have a Buddhist scripture building similar to a library.