Sakya Monastery

Sakya Monastery

Sakya Monastery is a Buddhist monastery situated at Bengbo Mountain, Sakya County. As the seat of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, it was founded in 1073, by Konchok Gyelpo, originally a monk of the powerful noble family of the Tsang and became the first Sakya Trizin. Its powerful abbots governed Tibet during the 13th and the 14th centuries under the overlordship of the Mongol Yuan dynasty after the downfall of the Tibetan Empire until they were eclipsed by the rise of the new Kagyu and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

More than 3000 murals are kept in the monastery featuring religions, history, culture, social life and other topics. These murals showcase giant scenes and rich content mainly focused on Buddhist scriptures, legends, historical stories, history of Sakya, natural scenery, flowers and auspicious beast.

The only surviving ancient building is the Lhakang Chempo or Sibgon Trulpa. Originally a cave in the mountainside, it was built in 1268 by dpon-chen Sakya Sangpo in 1268 and restored in the 16th century. It contains some of the most magnificent surviving artwork in all of Tibet, which appears not to have been damaged in recent times. The Gompa grounds cover more than 18,000 square metres, while the huge main hall covers some 6,000 square metres.

Among its many rites in a year, the largest and most unique ones are Vajra-dhara ritual dance assemblies in summer and winter. The summer ritual dance falls on July on Tibetan calender and the winter one starts on November 19th on Tibetan calender. During the performance, the dancers wear masks of some auspicious beasts and Sakya’s gods. The dances, centering on some simple plots, reflect how the Tibetan Buddhist gods beat the devils. Hundreds of thousands of monks and believers come to the Sayka Monastery and pray on the ritual dances for happiness and auspiciousness.