Larung Gar Buddhist Academy

Sertar Buddhist Academy

About 20 kilometers from Sertar County lies a valley called Larung Valley. A few miles up the valley is the world-renowned Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, also known as Sertar Buddhist Academy. Sertar Buddhist Academy is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist institutes in the world.

The monks' dwellings here are spectacular, with countless small wooden huts sprawling across valleys for several kilometers. At the valley bottom and on the mountain ridges are scattered several temples and prayer halls. Though not very large in scale, their decorations are exquisite and magnificent. Monks and nuns in maroon robes come and go, filling the air with vitality and a serene atmosphere.

On the highest peak of the academy stands a resplendent structure called the “Mandala” (transliterated). The upper part is an area for circumambulation, and it is said that if you have any illness, circling it 100 times can cure it. The lower level has prayer wheels. The golden cylinders emit a long, creaking sound as they are turned by people’s weathered hands.