Drepung Monastery
Tibet 2007
Drepung Monastery (Drepung means “rice heap”) is like a small city built on the side of a mountain. Streets wind among the many soot-smeared, white-washed brick buildings. Some buildings house temples dedicated to Buddha. Some are used as dormitories for the monks, some as classrooms, just like Potala Palace which Drepung’s architecture resembles.
In times past, the monastery housed more than 7,000 monks so you can imagine that there are many kitchens as well.
The monks washed their own clothes and the scarlet robes could be seen hanging from balconies. Solar panels heated tea-kettles hung from a hob in the courtyard.
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