Trandruk Monastery

The monastery is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, having been founded at the same time as the Jokhang in Lhasa. Dating back to the 7th century reign of Songtsen Gampo, it is one of the "Demoness Subduing" temples of Tibet. King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife, Princess Wencheng, divined the presence of a subterranean demoness down, it was felt, could the Buddhist faith take root in the high plateau. The monastery has undergone numerous enlargements and reconstructions over the centuries. It was significantly enlarged in pices of the 5th and 7th Dalai Lamas. The monastery is a significant stop for Tibetan pilgrims, and the monks genuinely glad to welcome foreign visitors and show them around. It is really a livley place and well worth a brief visit en route to Yumbulagang.

The monastery is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, founded at the same time as the Jokhang in Lhasa. Dating back to the reign of Songtsen Gampo in 7th centur, it is one of the "Demoness Subduing" temples in Tibet. Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife, Princess Wencheng, divined the presence of a subterranean demoness down, it was felt, could the Buddhist faith take root in the high plateau. The monastery has undergone numerous enlargements and reconstructions over the centuries. It was significantly enlarged in era of the 5th and 7th Dalai Lamas. The monastery is a significant stop for Tibetan pilgrims, and the monks genuinely glad to welcome foreign visitors and show them around. It is really a livley place and well worth a brief visit en route to Yumbulagang.

Tibetan culture is deeply colored by Buddhism,and the birthplace of Tibetan culture, Zetang is closely related to Buddhism. It is said that the three treasures from heaven were preserved in the Yongbulagang. Eventually more temples and monasteries were built, of which the best known are the Changzhug, Samye and Minchuling.

The Changzhug Monastery, said to have been built under the auspices of Songtsen Gampo, is located about two kilometers from Medong Country. According to legend, the site was originally covered by a lake that was inhabited by a vicious five-headed dragon. Songtsen Gampo changed into a huge bird and pecked off the dragon's heads. The lake ran dry, and the monastery was built Changzhug is a Tibetan word meaning "bird" and "dragon".

The Changzhug is very old and is patterned after the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, although on a smaller scale. It boasts a large number of murals and sculptures and a bell cast by the Han monk Ren Qing during the eighth century. There are also a well and stove said to have been used by Princess Wen Cheng and a grove of willow trees she had planted. As a matter of fact, the princess lived at the Changzhug for some time after her arrival in Tibet, but whether she used the well and stove is apocryphal.