kumbum monastery སྐུ་འབུམ་བྱམས་པ་གླིང།
The sacred Kumbum Monastery (Ta'er si) lies on a slight hill on the edge of a narrow valley 25 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Qinghai Province, Xining. Constructed in 1560 during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, Kumbum boasts a name meaning a grand place housing 100,000 enlightening bodies of Buddha.
Built upon the birthplace of the founder of the Gelugpa Sect or Yellow Hat Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsong Khapa, the monastery is considered to be one of the six great and most important monasteries of the Tibetan Buddhist Sect along with the Ganden, Sera, and Drepung Monasteries in the Lhasa area, the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, and the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe. This site is most sacred due to religious leaders who have graced it with their presence. Tsong Khapa, a Tibetan Buddhist philosopher and well-known scholar and master who lived in the early 1400's, is one of the most influential leaders of the last millennium. He formulated a new religious doctrine that stressed monastic discipline, chastity, and moral and philosophical thinking over mysticism. Tsong's influence over his followers was so strong that they have controlled Tibetan politics since the 17th century. Two of his disciples from Huangzhong is now famous in the Buddhist world, Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.
Built upon the birthplace of the founder of the Gelugpa Sect or Yellow Hat Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsong Khapa, the monastery is considered to be one of the six great and most important monasteries of the Tibetan Buddhist Sect along with the Ganden, Sera, and Drepung Monasteries in the Lhasa area, the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, and the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe. This site is most sacred due to religious leaders who have graced it with their presence. Tsong Khapa, a Tibetan Buddhist philosopher and well-known scholar and master who lived in the early 1400's, is one of the most influential leaders of the last millennium. He formulated a new religious doctrine that stressed monastic discipline, chastity, and moral and philosophical thinking over mysticism. Tsong's influence over his followers was so strong that they have controlled Tibetan politics since the 17th century. Two of his disciples from Huangzhong is now famous in the Buddhist world, Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.
Despite a destructive earthquake in 1990, the monastery has been well preserved. Kumbum consists of several different prayer halls, an exhibition hall, monks' sleeping quaters, and various pagodas. There are a total of around 20,000 religious artworks and embroideries, as well as numerous famous yak butter sculptures from the 16th century and idols of Buddhas. Kumbum currently has four monastic colleges: Debate College, Tantric College, Nagagpa Dratsand College, and Kalachakra College.