Incense Altar in Front of a Lamasery Building at Songzanlin Temple 松赞林寺
The Songzanlin Temple, also called the Ganden Sumtseling in Tibetan, is the largest monastery in Yunnan province. It is therefore not a surprise that it should be given the nickname Little Potala Palace. For people who are unable to go to the real one, this seems to be a good substitute with far less people. It was a good decision to head to the highlands during the summer to avoid the crush of people at the more popular places. However, I would soon be passing by the place sooner or later. For now, I can enjoy the peace and tranquility that Shangrila has to offer. The Songzanlin Temple is a Tibet temple and it shows it is architecture. However, it has also incorporated Chinese designs that make it look similar enough to the more well known temples in other locations.
A Look Inside One of the Temple Buildings
The Songzanlin Temple has two lamasery buildings, unforutnately, I have forgotten which was which. The first one was quite imposing as it was around four stories high. What made it even more creepy, at least for me, was the presence of black flags which cover parts of the facade of the building. There was incense burning area in front of the buildings which confirmed that this place is indeed active. I only took a peek inside the building as it didn’t seem to be that inviting. No monks there.
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