Sir's monastery
Description:
One of the largest Buddhist monasteries and the famous university of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as an object of pilgrimage. Previously, along with Drepung Monastery, Sira was one of three state monasteries.
It was founded in 1419 by Tsongkhapa Sakya Yeshi. In the past, there were more than 5,000 monks. Several hundred people live there now. It consists of several "colleges" - departments studying various trends of Buddhism.
The monastery got its name from the Tibetan “sera”, which means “wild rose” or “hip”. The name is due to the fact that the hill where the monastery was built was covered with wild flowering roses.
The monastery is also a museum visited by numerous tourists. Monks regularly hold lively philosophical debates.