KUMBUM MONASTERY

This monastery is located 25 km from Xining, near the village of Lushaer. It was founded in 1588 by Öser Gyamtso, at the request of the 3 rd ^{Dalai Lama, on the alleged birthplace of Tsonkhapa. This is where, on the leaves of a tree, the hundred thousand images (kumbum) appeared miraculously and a reliquary was raised. The 14 th Dalai Lama was born in 1935 near there. The monastery, which formerly had 4 colleges, resembles a museum. Eight stûpa align in front of the entrance. Don't miss the butter sculptures museum, absolutely unique. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the monastery by surveying the halls, like the great explorer Alexandra David-Neel who stayed there at the beginning of the twentieth century.}