Chimpu Practice Cave and Nunnery Travel Guide

Chimpu situates in the mountainside of Naru Mountain, which is 7.5 km northeast of Samye Monastery. You can find no intense heat in summer and severe cold in winter at Chimpu. The valley that Chimpu situating lies shaped concave and surrounded by mountains in three sides. The Southern side is gradually widened vision and grand Yarlung Zangpo River. Khenchen Shantarashita and Padmasambhava ever cultivated and practiced themselves at Chimpu, left many sacred relics. At the end of early period of Buddhism teaching and spreading to Tibet, many valuable scriptures were buried here. At the beginning of later period, tertons exacated scripturesat Chimpu. Therefore, Chimpu and Samye Monastery have long enjoyed the same and good reputation. The Tibetan people hold the opinion that tourists never been to Chimpu is never been to Samye Monastery.

In the past, it was said that Chimpu Practice Cave and Nunnery have 108 caves, 108 sky burial sites and 108 holy springs. We can’t prove the number now but still can see many practice dwellings here welcoming the concentrating practicing people coming from afar to Chimpu, which makes Chimpu looks like a small village. It is because these plain and hard practicing people dwell here, Tibetan people and tourists regards Chimpu as a holy place.

The Nunnery in the mountainside is the only way which must be passed going to downhill. This nunnery, named Kyirulhakang, hosted by Lama Tenzin and Nun Dechen, was hidden a romantic and legendary story. Tenzin was a doctor and Dechen was a mother of two children. They came from different families; both left home, practiced for religion, went to India and settled down at Chimpu. At first, they stayed at the practice caves and built the nunnery after a long time and rough efforts. Nowadays, the nunnery only accepts nuns to practice, and no lama allowed here.