Tsurphu Monastery-Explore Tibet.

Around 65 Km west of Lhasa,Tsurphu Monastery  is the seat of The Karma branch of the Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. The Karma Kagyu or ( Karmapa) are also known as the Black hats, a title referring to a crown given to the fifth Karmapa by the Chinese emperor Yongle in 1407. Said to be made from the hairs of 100,000 dakinis, the black hat, embellished with gold is now kept at Rubtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. You will see images of the 16th Karmapa wearing the hat,holding it down with his hand to stop it flying away.

Between 1992-1997 Terris and Leslie Nguyen Temple created the two giant thangkas for Tsurphu Gompa H.H.Karmapa’s main seat in Tibet established in 1187 by the 1st Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa. For the last fourteen years, they have been the artists to H.H. the Gyalwa Karmapa’s Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet. They now have been requested to undertake the making of the two large ceremonial silk appliqué lace like banners for display in the main assembly hall at Tsurphu. These are the companion pieces of the two Giant Appliqué Thangkas completed in 1997 and are to be used in the main assembly hall for the ceremonial aspect of the both festivals. Unlike the 2 giant thangkas these 2 Drawa Drachey appliqués were not destroyed, but taken to Sikkim by the 16th Karmapa Rigpe Dorje in 1959, and are now at Rumtek Monastery, India. These are to be copied for Tsurphu at the request of His Holiness Karmapa, Ven. Drupon Dechen Rinpoche (the late the abbot of Tsurphu), and Tsurphu Gompa.

Tsurphu has an annual festival around the time of the Saga Dawa festival, on the ninth,10th and 11th days of the fourth Tibetan month( around may). There is plenty of free flowing chang as well as ritual cham dancing and the unfurling of a great thangka on the platform across the river from the monastery.