The best time to visit Sera Monastery: Lhasa is located on the north side of the Himalayas. Affected by the downdraft, it has sunny weather throughout the year, with little rainfall, no severe cold in winter, and no scorching heat in summer. It has a plateau monsoon semi-arid climate. The highest temperature is 29°C, the lowest temperature is minus 16.5°C, and the annual average temperature is 7.4°C. Rainfall is concentrated in July, August, and September, with an annual rainfall of about 500 mm. There are more than 3,007 hours of sunshine throughout the year, making it known as the "Sunshine City" say. Generally, July, August, September and March are the best travel times.
The full name of Sera Monastery is Sera Mahayana Chau. It is located at the southern foot of Sera Uze Mountain in the northern suburbs of Lhasa, Tibet. It was named because the fields at the foot of the mountain were covered with lush wild rose-colored tiles when the temple was built. Sera Monastery was built in 1419 by Sakyamuni Sakyamuni (1354-1435, who was named the Great Compassionate Dharma King by the Ming Dynasty) appointed by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and one of his eight disciples. In 1962, it was designated as a key cultural relics protection unit in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and in 1982, it was promoted to a national key cultural relics protection unit.
The Sera Monastery was built according to the local conditions at the foot of Wuzi Mountain. It is large in scale, covering an area of ??114,964 square meters. The temples are well-proportioned, with overlapping towers and pavilions. It is magnificent and magnificent, reflecting the Tibetan tradition. The distinctive characteristics of Buddhist temples are mountain-style architecture. The entire building complex consists of architectural units such as the Buddhist hall, sutra hall, Dracang (monastery), monks' residence, Kangcun, and the Lazhang Palace of famous living Buddhas such as Cemoling and Rezhen. Among them, Cuoqin Hall, Maiba Zhacang, Aba Zhacang and Jizhacang are the main buildings of the temple.
The early buildings were built around Maiba Zhacang and Aba Zhacang. Maiba Zhacang, located in the southwest, was rebuilt in 1761 after being struck by lightning. It is four stories high and has a construction area of ??1,600 square meters. It is composed of architectural units such as the Sutra Hall and the Dalai Lama's bedroom; the sutra hall mainly enshrines the bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Amitayus Buddha, Medicine Buddha, Miaoyin Bodhisattva, Tsongkhapa master and disciples, and seven Bronze statues of the Dalai Lama and the Third Living Buddha Cemeling.
Aba Zhacang was originally the Tsoqen Hall of Sera Monastery, which was built in 1710. The existing Cuoqin Hall was later changed to Dracang, with a three-story building and a construction area of ??1,500 square meters. It consists of four Buddhist halls, including the Sutra Hall, Arhat Hall, Yamantaka Hall, and Infinite Light Buddha Hall, as well as the Dalai Lama's bedroom and spiritual hall. It is composed of pagodas and other building units. It is the smallest of the three major Zhacang of Sera Monastery. It is also an important place for the monks of Sera Monastery to practice Tantra. It houses the three Tantric deities of the Gelug sect, Gyassy Vajra, Chakrasamvara and Mahavatar. The statue of Valkyrie Vajra; the main enshrined in the sutra hall is the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. On both sides are three masters and disciples of Tsongkhapa, the 13th Dalai Lama, etc. The four walls are covered with magnificent murals. The content They mainly include Buddhist stories, Western Pure Land Transformations, Guhyasamadhi Vajra and other Tantric themes, as well as Nagarjuna and other eminent monks and sages in Buddhist history.
The murals have beautiful shapes, smooth lines and bright colors, showing their superb artistic level. Jizhacang is the largest Zhacang among the three major Zhacang, with a construction area of ??1,700 square meters. It was first built in 1435 and expanded in the Qing Dynasty. The main building is four stories high, including the Sutra Hall, the Third Buddha Hall, the Horsehead Ming King Hall, the Maitreya Buddha Hall, the Tsongkhapa Hall, and the Miaoyin Hall.