Xiahe, or Labrang as it is known in Tibetan, set in a
beautiful valley at 2920m on the edge of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. Most of the
town is occupied by the Monastery, one of the largest and most important Tibetan
monasteries anywhere. We spent 5 days here, the first stage in our overland
route from Lanzhou to Chengdu, 1100km in total.
Labrang seen from the small hill to the south of the town. The Gong Tang
Pagoda is the gold-roofed building at the near edge of the huge monastery
complex.
LABRANG MONASTERY
The two things you can't escape noticing in Labrang are monks and pilgrims. The
monks (about 1200 of them) are mostly members of the Yellow Hat Sect of Tibetan
Buddhism. Most are highly educated and many speak good English. The dedication
of the pilgrims is impressive. Not all of them go to the extreme lengths of this
prostrating woman though.
Everyone, including us, makes the 3km clockwise pilgrims' circuit of the
monastery complex. For most of the way the route is lined with prayer drums,
1174 in total. It is hard work turning every one...
The squeaking of the rotating drums (despite the yak butter lubricant) is a
constant presence on the circuit. This pilgrim is a pro - note the gloved right
hand.
L to R: The Lion Buddha Hall; rooftop view; Gong Tang Pagoda detail
Many of the monks are as young as seven or eight. They're very good at football.
Here we are on the way to the main courtyard to watch the...
MILAREPA FESTIVAL
On the 8th day of the 7th lunar month the traditional festival of Milarepa
takes place in front of the Grand Sutra Hall. This is a prayer meeting and
ritual dance drama, an explanation of the Tibetan-Buddhist doctrine.
The place was packed out and all the locals were dressed up in their finest
clothes and jewellery. Lesley and the girls had a good view near the front (the
crowd was being beaten back by stick-wielding bouncers) but Ali was relegated to
the mayhem in the middle of the masses.
This guy on the roof had the best view - monks only.
Faces in the crowd
Face in the crowd - Tibetan woman at the Milarepa Festival, Labrang
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