My day trip to Medo valley

Medo Valley and Lhundrup Valley are two of the most important towns near Lhasa. Once the home of many great Tibetan masters. 

I planned to take my mother on a pilgrim during the Shoton festival holiday. We started our day trip around 8 am from Lhasa with my mother and sister. We traveled from Lhasa towards Medo Gongga town into the Valley. 

Phukpa Monastery 

On this day we visited five monasteries in total. The first monastery is Phukpa Monastery. It is located in the Medo Valley in a very peaceful atmosphere with few Nomads and only one Nomad village. The Phukpa monastery is famous for a great master from Drukpa Kagyu Kunu Rinpoche. Phukpa means cave in Tibetan. It was once a retreat area during 1601. Later a monk from the Sera monastery traveled to Phukpa monastery and reconstructed the whole monastery and now it is a Gelukpa sect monastery. 

The view of the valley from the roof of the Monastery is stunning. We can still witness the beauties of the meditation cave and the local mud stove and pot of the great master Kunu. The main shrine of the Monastery is compassion Buddha Chenrezig with thousand arms. 

Photo: The Phukpa monastery is famous for the Tongdrol Chorten. People who have lots of merits can be enlightened when they see this Stupa. 

Shang Monastery

 The Shang Monastery has a history back to the 9th-century Tibetan Kings. There is a tall stone pillar awarded to a great master Je Ting Ney Zin the King.  The Pillar still remains nowadays. It was said that this pillar is awarded to the great master because of his great deeds to the people. The Shang Monastery is a Nyingma sect monastery located in the Medo Valley. 

Mangra Monastery

After we visited Mangra monastery, located near Nyima Jiangra town. The monastery was constructed in 1113 by the disciple of great Kadampa master Chen Nga Wa. It is one of the only Kadam monasteries in the Medo Valley. Now it is a Gelukpa monastery. The main shrine of the monastery is Buddha Shakyamuni.

Photo: View of Mangra monastery and the meditation cave 

Choelong Nunnery

Choelong Nunnery is located near the Mangra monastery. The amazing mountain looks much different from other mountains nearby. On the East, there is the Mangra Monastery and on the backside of the mountain at the west, there is the Choelong Nunnery. Choelong nunnery is a Nyingmapa sect Nunnery and is now also a Kagyu nunnery so it is a Nyingma Kagyu Nunnery. Quite similar to the Tidrum Nunnery. The main shrine of the nunnery is Maha Guru Rinpoche. 

Dzong monastery

The final monastery that we visited was the Dzong monastery, located on the mountain. It is a Drigung Kagyu sect monastery. The main shrine of the monastery is the footprints of Drigung Kagyu founder Je Kyopa Jigten Gonpo. Dzong monastery is a small version of Potala Palace in the Medo Valley. 

Conclusion

My plan was to take my mother to visit a Monastery that she hadn't visited before and I am glad that all five monasteries are our first-time visit monasteries. 

Tibet is the home of monasteries, it is important for local Tibetan like me to visit and explore these small hidden monasteries. I have barely seen any visitors except us in many of the monasteries we visited in Medo Valley. Thank you for reading Tibet Travelers' article on my day trip to Medo Valley.