ad libitum: Palcho Monastery

We headed towards Gyantse, fourth largest city in Tibet. Gyantse is notable for the tiered Kumbum at the Palcho Monastery.

Scenery in the morning sun.
Morning mist.
Palcho Monastery
Main entrance.
This monastery had quite a lot of dogs lazing around.
Note the number of figurines above this doorway.
The Kumbum is a three dimensional mandala, meant to portray the Buddhist cosmos. The Kumbum, like other mandalas, which are portrayed by a circle within a square, enables the devotee to take part in the Buddhist perception of the universe and can depict one's potential as they move through it. Mandalas are meant to aid an individual on the path to enlightenment. The Kumbum holds a vast number of images of deities throughout its structure with Vhajra Dhara, the cosmic Buddha, at the top.
One of the murals on the walls of the chambers.
View of a building on the side of the hill from the Kumbum.
Looking up.
On the top level. Eyes on all four sides.
City of Gyantse from the top level of the Kumbum.
Someone has green fingers. There were lots of BIG blossoms.
Pretty flowers.
Pretty flowers.
Prayer wheels line the entrance to the temple.
Outside, a stall selling thermos of liquid yak lard. Locals who visit would pour the liquid into the oil lamps in the temples. They were also ready to stuff small notes $1 onto the prayer tables.
View of the monastery from afar. The guide said that it was modelled after the Potala Palace. Someone had carved the picture of Potala Palace onto a vegetable for the lama to bring back to Gyantse. However, the vegetable shrunk by the time he reached Gyantse (months of walking involved). Thus the miniature size.