monks playing the long Tibetan horn
a 540 years old lamasery, home to over 500 monks, this is the region's largest monastery, glimmer with blinding quantities of Gold. But it is not as spectacular as other monasteries in Kham, since the greater parts of was rebuilt in Han-Chinese-style. Still the views over the valley from its terraces and the gaudy mix of Tibetan and Chinese architecture make it worth a visit. This horn is an example of the long horn used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals. The instrument is properly known as a "Dung Chen". They are an essential component of the monastic music of the Tibetan Buddhism. Some of these horns are so large that the monks will often rest the end in a wooden support when playing them in a single location, but they are used in processions as well, in which case the end of the unwieldy instrument will rest on the shoulder of other monks who walk ahead of the ones playing the instruments. For portability, the horn is made in sections that collapse telescopically from its fully extended length. A short walk north along the river dividing the town or the street running parallel to the west leads you to the Tibetan quarter of the town, which lays at the foot of the monastery. Follow the narrow paths between the houses to reach the site. Look out for little chapels containing giant prayer wheels circambulated by devotees on the way
Size: 5635px × 3016px
Photo credit: © Thomas Boehm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: Yes
Keywords: asia, buddhism, chen, china, cooper, copper, dung, garze, himalaya, horn, kham, long, meditation, monastery, monks, religion, sichuan, tibet, tibetan, vddiyana, yarchen
