When people hear about Tibet, they tend to see it as a very difficult traveling, however it is not true. Traveling to Tibet is simple and straight forward with a reputed tour and travel company. There are a number of amazing places to visit, but in this article I am going to discuss about one of the most incredible Tibet tours that is- Ganden to Samye tour, briefly.
Ganden Monastery-
The Ganden Monastery is situated on Wangbur Mountain, around 48 km away from Lhasa City. It is typically placed on the southern bank of Lhsas River, around 3800 meters above the sea level. This monastery, also called as Ganden Namgyeling, is one of the three supreme Gelug universities, the other two monasteries are Drepung monastery and Sera monastery.
The Ganden Monastery was founded by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa in 1409. The monastery was destroyed after 1959 that had later been rebuilt to some extent. In 1966. In Tibet, Ganden Monastery is one of the oldest and biggest Buddhist monasteries and it stands on the top of the six celebrated temples of Gelugpa, that is a crucial part of Tibetan Buddhism. The one of the supreme festivals that is the Buddha Painting Unfolding festival is celebrated here every year.
Samye monastery-
The Samye Monastery or Samye Gompais the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet. It was probably first constructed between 775-9 CE[1] under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsän Gampo in the 7th century. The monastery is in Dranang, Lhoka Prefecture.
According to tradition, the Indian monk Śāntarakṣita made the first attempt to construct the monastery while promoting his sutra-centric version of Buddhism. Finding the Samye site auspicious, he set about to build a structure there. However, the building would always collapse after reaching a certain stage. Terrified, the construction workers believed that there was a demon or obstructive tulku in a nearby river making trouble.
When Shantarakshita’s contemporary Padmasambhava arrived from northern India, he was able to subdue the energetic problems obstructing the building of Samye.
Ganden to Samye Tibet trekking-
The route that connects the two supreme monasteries, the Ganden monastery and the Samye Monastery, is considered as one of the greatest hikes in the world. The trek is amazingly great with mountains, beautiful lakes, lush alpine meadows, high snowy passes, small villages, nomad camps, sacred sites, culminating at the barren and so forth. You will get to experience the Tibetan Buddhism and religious culture. It is a pleasing and superlative pilgrimage trip that is successful to attract thousands of tourists every year. The best time for this tour is from May to October as the mountains are in the greenest form and the landscapes are amazingly beautiful.
If you are planning to visit Tibet, don’t forget to check 11 days Ganden to Samye tour offered by one of the best travel agencies, at Tibet Highland Tours in order to explore the place in the best possible manner.