How much does Drepung Monastery cost to visit?

Adult entry to Drepung Monastery is ¥50, ¥25 for children.

When is Drepung Monastery open?

Drepung Monastery opening hours: 9am–5pm.

How long do you need at Drepung Monastery?

Allow 2–3 hours for Drepung Monastery. Add buffer time if you plan to visit at peak season or include nearby sights in the same trip.

Religious site · TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION · UNESCO

Drepung Monastery

哲蚌寺 · Zhébàng Sì

About

Once the largest monastery in the world (10,000+ monks). 8 km west of Lhasa. Active Gelugpa monastery; debating courtyard sessions in the afternoon.

Drepung Monastery was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Chöje, a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa school. At its peak in the 17th century, the monastery housed between 10,000 and 15,000 monks, making it by population the largest Buddhist monastery in the world. The complex sits at the foot of Mt Gambo Utse, eight kilometres west of central Lhasa, a white-and-grey spread of monastic buildings visible from the Lhasa valley floor.

The compound is organised into four monastic colleges (dratsang) — Loseling, Gomang, Deyang, and Ngagpa — each of which functions as a semi-independent academic and residential unit with its own temple, administration, and curriculum. The colleges historically specialised in different areas of Buddhist philosophy and tantric practice; the debate between college traditions was a significant intellectual tradition within Gelugpa monasticism. The Ganden Phodrang within the compound served as the residence of the Dalai Lamas before the Fifth Dalai Lama moved the seat of government to the Potala Palace in the 17th century. The Ganden Phodrang ultimately became the name of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The monastery was substantially damaged during the Cultural Revolution and subsequently restored. The current monastic population is much smaller than historical numbers but is still several hundred monks. The afternoon monastic debate sessions in the debate courtyard — monks in deep red robes arguing Buddhist logic with the distinctive sharp hand-clap punctuating each point — are open to outside visitors and are the most vivid demonstration of the monastery as a living institution. The Shoton Festival in August includes the unfurling of a giant thangka painting on the hillside above the monastery — a specific feature of Drepung's festival calendar.

How to get there

Bus 24 from Lhasa or hire car (15 km from centre).

When to visit

Morning. The Shoton Festival in August has the giant thangka unveiling.

UNESCO inscription

Inscribed 1994. · Criteria (i, iv, vi).

“The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m. Also founded in the 7th century, the Jokhang Temple Monastery is an exceptional Buddhist religious complex. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace, constructed in the 18th century, is a masterpiece of Tibetan art. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, add to their historic and religious interest.”

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre — official listing.

Other attractions in Lhasa

Itineraries featuring this site

Other religious sites in China

Other UNESCO World Heritage sites in China