Sershul Monastery

The largest temple, which is more than 300 years old, contains two great chanting halls devoted to Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug Order.

It also contains many precious relics including one of Je Tsongkhapa's teeth preserved within a sacred chorten (stupa) in the upper gallery.

Sershul Monastery was established in 1701 and to date has kept a collection of rare sacred Buddhist objects, like the wooden block and hammer used during the initiation and penance ceremonies of monks at the Nalanda University in India at the time of Gautama Buddha – some of the objects having a history of more than 2,000 years.

Examples are for instance when Trinley Norbu lama died in 1995, a mark was left on his skull in the image Vajrapani.

In 1997 when Triwa Lobsang lama died, an image of Arya Tara was left on his heart.

Novices at lunch in Sershul