Chali Monastery

Chali Monastery

Chali Monastery is a cultural tourism attraction.

An ancient Gelug school Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Amdo Tibetan region with a long history. The monastery is renowned for its numerous precious historical relics and artifacts, its focus on philosophical studies, grand debates, excellent academic atmosphere, and Geshe class teachings. With a large monastic community, it has a strong religious ambiance, surrounded by lush greenery and set in a beautiful environment. The average annual temperature is 4.4°C, with an average temperature of around 16°C from May to October. Located at the foot of Ayila Mountain along the roadside on the way to Aba County, it is 443 km from Chengdu and 194 km from Barkam. This was the place where the Red Army entered Aba County in 1935.

Temple Tourism

Tour Overview

Exact Address: Chali Township, Aba County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province

Apart from local Tibetans and monks, this place is rarely visited by outsiders, making it truly a sacred site for spiritual retreat. A clear stream runs through the valley, and the entire architectural complex spreads out along the narrow valley. The main hall of the monastery is built halfway up the mountain, under a spotless blue sky dotted with auspicious clouds, while its gilded rooftops shimmer in the sunlight, exuding a magnificent presence.

Here, one feels tranquility, as if the transparent air has filtered out all noise, like stepping into another era. Due to the profound silence, after staying here for a few days, my hearing seemed heightened—I could clearly hear faint conversations, footsteps, and the sound of prayer wheels from afar.

The air is very fresh. There are many crows, and they are quite large.

At Chali Monastery, over twenty monks reside year-round to study and practice, coming from monasteries in Qinghai, Gansu, Tibet, Sichuan, and other regions. For certain periods each year, eminent monks from monasteries such as Labrang Monastery in Gansu come here to give lectures. As for the 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche, the monastery he oversees is actually not in Aba County but in Jiaguo Monastery in Hongyuan County. Jiaguo Monastery is over a hundred kilometers away from Chali Monastery and is also an ancient temple with a history of more than 700 years. It is located on the Hongyuan Grassland and still has no electricity. Every two or three days, monks from Jiaguo Monastery come to report to the 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche: everything in the monastery is fine, the elderly monks are well, and there is no need for concern.

Monks who come to Chali Monastery to study all have their own dwellings built within the valley. Therefore, in the Chali Monastery area, in addition to the monastery itself, there are also two to three hundred monk quarters, with over a thousand monks, novices, and disciples. The monks’ residences are relatively spacious, featuring typical Tibetan-style courtyards built with rammed earth, usually two or three stories high, with rooftops also covered in earthen plaster. The wooden lattice windows are painted earth-red and decorated with large Tibetan prayer flags.

The 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche

The courtyard of the 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche is built by the small river. The buildings within the courtyard are arranged in a concave shape, spanning two stories, where he lives with several of his disciples. The courtyard is spacious, planted with a patch of green Chinese cabbage and a cluster of wild chrysanthemums. Tibetan monks are often seen as mysterious figures in people’s minds. However, the 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche gives the impression of being very humble, warm, polite, kind yet dignified, and not at all intimidating.

The 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche was born on the boundless Hongyuan Grassland, and his secular parents are still alive. At the age of seven, he was found by monks and recognized as a tulku (reincarnated lama). The Zhozhag Rinpoche has two younger brothers and one younger sister. The elder brother is named Jiarang, the younger brother is Zhuoba, and both have also taken monastic vows with him at Chali Monastery. His two uncles are also monks and live on the first floor of this courtyard.

The 11th Zhozhag Rinpoche said that the most beautiful time here is in May and June when the grass waves roll, wildflowers bloom everywhere, birds sing loudly, lakes are scattered like stars, and the water is a brilliant blue—it is incredibly beautiful then.

The Rinpoche arranged for us to stay in a room upstairs. This room serves as a bedroom but also functions as a kitchen and living room, and is kept very tidy. The Rinpoche’s bedroom is also upstairs, and his bookshelves are stacked with volumes of scriptures. He said that the yellow scriptures are already in use, while those wrapped in dark red cloth have not yet been opened for study—only a small portion has been read so far. I couldn’t help but marvel at the vastness of the scriptures. The Rinpoche said, “Learning is endless, and the Dharma is profound and boundless—one can study for a lifetime and still not finish.”

Scenic Features

The evenings at Chali Monastery are very quiet, with only the sounds of the wind and the murmuring stream. Every day before dawn, you can hear the chanting of the monks and disciples, resonant and loud.

After breakfast each day around nine o'clock, the monks and disciples go to the monastery for morning prayers. From the afternoon until six o'clock, they also have classes, and in the evening, they study on their own.

Without a guide, outsiders are generally not allowed to visit Chali Monastery. The interior of the monastery’s main hall is magnificent, with eternal lamps surrounding the majestic Buddha statues, shining like a starry sky, and the solemn atmosphere instantly commands reverence. In the center is enshrined the stupa of the relics of Gongtang Rinpoche, flanked by the stupas of the first and second Zhozhag Rinpoches of Chali Monastery and a portrait of the third, as well as golden statues of masters such as Tsongkhapa, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva.

In the upper right corner of the Gongtang Rinpoche stupa, there is a small golden statue of a Tibetan monk. It is said that this statue is exquisitely designed—the monk’s right hand holds a hat, and imperceptibly to observers, it slowly places the hat on the statue’s head before taking it off again. This action is repeated two or three times a day, which is truly astonishing.

Walking up to the mountaintop behind the main hall leads to the Longevity Buddha Hall. The Longevity Buddha is the deity in Tibetan Buddhism who blesses all beings with safety and longevity. The golden Longevity Buddha here is about two meters tall, and in the small niches around it, a thousand small golden Longevity Buddhas are enshrined. The hall glows with radiant light, dazzling to the eye. The walls are painted with images of deities such as White Tara, featuring vibrant colors, smooth lines, and exquisite craftsmanship by renowned Tibetan artists.