Rongbuk Monastery

Located at the elevation 4800 meters, Rongbuk Monastery is the highest monastery in the world. It lies in Basum Township, Shigaste Prefecture of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. It is the sacred threshold of Mt. Everest with the most fabulous view in the world. Seen from this monastery Mt. Everest appears like a lofty pyramid surrounded by mountains that touch the sky.

Rongbuk Monastery was built in 1899 as a Nyingmapa monastery since it was said that once Padmasambhava, founder of Nyingmapa, preceded his religious cultivation here. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliff walls all around the monastery complex and up and down the valley. Many walls and stones that are carved with sacred syllables and prayers, line the paths.

Rongbuk Monastery is a five-tier building with only two floors being used. In the front is the main hall where stand the statues of Sakyamuni and Guru Rinpoche. It houses Lamas and nuns in the same monastery. It holds the three days Saga Dawa Festival to celebrate the birth of Sakyamuni. When playing, the monks disguise themselves as Rabbis and dance scenes one after another with most scenes portraying different characters and clothing. Pilgrims trek a long way to pay votive offerings or see lamas playing operas during big Buddhist days.

Walking ahead from Rongbuk Monastery is the famous Rongbuk Glacier Zone, which is the largest among all the hundreds of glaciers formed around the Mt. Everest. The three glaciers north of the Mt. Everest flow south and assemble at a river traversing the foot of the monastery. This river is called 'Rongbuk River', and its water is extremely cold.

Rongbuk Monastery Tour

As the highest monastery in the world, during Rongbuk Monastery Tour, tourists could also have a bird's-eye view of the scenery around the monastery.