Samye Monastery

Samye Monastery, situated in the north bank of the Yarlong Tsangpo(Brhamaputra)river, was built in 779 A.D, and presided over and constructed by Padmasambava and Trisong Detsen. It is the first monastery allowing tonsured monks to become real Buddhists. The altitude is 3600meters here.
Samye is famous for its sacred mandala design, the central temple symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, center of the universe. As one of the popular pilgrimage destinations, Tibetan Buddhists are willing to travel on foot for weeks to get here.
The complex of the monastery is grand with delicate decorations. It replicates the universe described in the sutras exactly. The central world Mount Meru is represented by the majestic Wuzi Hall. The Sun and Moon chapels stand in the north and south as the sun and moon in the universe. Four larger halls and eight smaller halls are distributed around all sides of the central hall, symbolizing the four large continents and eight small ones. There are four the Red, White, Black and Green Pagodas at the four corners like the Heavenly Kings to guard the Dharma. A circular wall surrounds the temple as if marking the periphery of the world. The layout of Samye Monastery resembles the Mandala in the Esoteric Buddhism.
There are few tourirsts here than Lhasa, it is a very nice to wander around for your Tibet tour.
Entrance fee for Samye Monastery is CNY 45.