Zezhol Monastery

Zezhol Monastery in Chamdo is situated at an altitude of 4,800 meters on Zezhol Hill, one of the 4 holy mountains in Bon religion. Zezhol Monastery is the largest monastery of the Tibetan indigenous religion, Bon which is a religion sect now coexist with Buddhism. Much alike with Buddhism, Bon also worships Sakyamuni and its doctrines also advise people to be honest and do good deeds. Out of all the existing Bon monasteries, Zezhol maintains the rites of the religion most strongly. Zezhol literally means 'six peaks' in Tibetan because the halls, colleges and dormitories are distributed over six peaks. However according to the scriptures' records, these six peaks represent that the Bodhisattva's Six Perfections: giving, morality, patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdom, which can defeat the sins of the people. The history of Zezhol Monastery dates back more than 3, 000 years and it went through many ups and downs. From its emergence, Bon spread widely and became the orthodox religion for a very long time. However, Buddhism replaced Bon as the main religion in Tibet after it was promulgated in the seventh century.

Until the middle of the fourteenth century, an eminent Bon monk restored and extended Zezhol Monastery. Being the largest and one of the oldest monasteries of Bon sect, it became the Holy Land for Bon followers. Late June to mid August is the best time to visit Zezhol. In late June, the monastery holds a festival with naked religious dancing which is a tradition of Bon. But today only Zezhol Monastery keeps this tradition exactly the same as it originally was. Since the festival is held every twelve years, the pilgrims greatly look forward to the chance of viewing the dancing themselves and they strongly believe that this will make their minds re-born and eliminate their burden of sins. The festival attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists to travel. A tour to Zezhol Monastery would be memorable. Here are some guide information for your tour to Zezhol Monastery. Address: On the Zezhol Hill, 37 kilometers from Tingchen County in Chamdo of Tibet. Admission Fee: Free . Contact Number: 86- 10-85968802