Yungdrungling Monastery

Yungdrungling Monastery is one of the four major Bon religion monasteries in Tibet. It was built in the 7th century AD during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, but it was destroyed during the reign of Tibetan King Lang Dama in the 8th century AD. Later, it was rebuilt by Nangton Lawa Gyeltsen in 1834.

This monastery is built against the mountain, surrounded by trees, with a pleasant climate and secluded environment, at an altitude of 3,750 meters. It's 170km west of Lhasa and 90km east of Shigatse, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo(Brahmaputra River), visible across the river from the Sino-Nepal highway between Lhasa and Shigatse. Once it was the second most influential Bon Monastic institution in Tibet and home to 700 monks. The number is now reduced to about 35 and consists largely of different factions of Bonpos from as far as the Aba region of northern Sichuan.

For many people, the Yungdrungling monastery is a typical Buddhist monastery. The monks here are very friendly to visitors. Some of them can even speak English. If you are lucky to meet the key holder, he can show you the large dukhang(Sutra Hall). Inside the house are the impressive thrones of the monastery's two resident Shiromo along the walls-look for the deity's characteristic swastika mace. There are also a couple of more behind the main hall that you can pay a visit to. Those chapels' include the Namjya Lhakhang. Keep in mind that you should visit those chapels in an anticlockwise direction.