Samye Monastery map

Samye Monastery is located in Danang County, the north bank of Yarlung Tsampo River, 38 km to Tsedang. This monastery was built in accordance of an aspiration of King Trisong Detsan and the construction was directed by the famous Indian Masters Padmasamabava and Shantarakshita.

Samye means unexpected building in Tibetan. According to The Concise History Of The Tibetan, this monastery was designed on the plan of the Odantapuri temple in present day Bihar, India, and mirrored the Buddhist Cosmology. The central temple represents Mt. Sumeru, the mythical mountain at the center of the cosmos. Around it are four temples called ling, which represent the four continents situated in the vast ocean to the north, south, east and west of Sumeu. To the right and left of each of these temples are two smaller temples called lingtren representing the subcontinents (lingtren) of the Buddhist universe. There are even 2 chapels representing the sun and moon. The entire monastery was surrounded by a circular wall topped with numerous small stupas, and four great stupas are in four colors (white, red, blue and green). During that time, there were 7 young men from royal families. Tibet first came to the monastery as monks, and they were called 7 Examed Men. Therefor, the monastery was called the 1st Tibetan Monastery because it had Buddha, Dharma and Monks together.

Not only the paintings but also stone carvings are really artistic objects in Samye Monastery. The main statue which was descended from the heaven to Mt, Hapori, one of the 4 holy mountains in central Tibet, then people move the statue from the mountain into the monastery. All these yak butter candles in the chaples are stone carved. These murals in the monastery describe such as folk acrobatics, and dancing.

There are also special relics such as on ancient tablet, ancient bronze bell (which is the first made one in Tibet).