Kumbum Monastery

Kumbum Monastery (also known as Ta’er Monastery, tǎ ěr sì 塔尔寺) is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo (ān duō 安多). Its superior monastery is Drepung (zhé bàng sì 哲蚌寺), immediately to the west of Lhasa (lā sà 拉萨). It was ranked in importance as second only to Lhasa. Kumbum Monastery is about 27 kilometers southwest of Xining. It is one of the two most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries outside Tibet itself. Set among flowing wheat fields and fertile hills, Kumbum Monastery evokes an ambience of relaxation and meditation.