Self-driving in Western Sichuan | A must-visit on G317: Kathok Monastery

When Seda became famous and attracted many tourists, the Gaden Monastery located on the hillside by the Jinsha River in Baiyu County, Ganzi, existed like a hidden paradise. This place is only separated from Tibet by a mountain. It was once recorded in historical books that "100,000 Buddhas were transformed into rainbow bodies". In 2007, the largest Buddhist ceremony in more than 2,000 years was held here, with a total of 180,000 monks gathering here at the same time. It was already evening when we arrived at the entrance of Gaden Monastery on G317, and it was rainy. We were a little hesitant about whether to go up the mountain. But considering its reputation as the "Mother Temple of the Nyingma Sect", we still decided to go up the mountain for pilgrimage. This may be the steepest and most winding mountain road we have encountered since we drove in western Sichuan. After 40 minutes of difficult climbing, we finally arrived at our destination. At this time, the weather changed from cloudy to sunny. We were lucky to see the altar under the rainbow and the towering Shiming Buddhist College. It was really shocking! Fortunately, we did not miss this trip. It was worth it! I recommend that friends who take the G317 Ganbai Line must come once~ There are restaurants and accommodations further up the mandala (you can ask local monks), but the conditions are rather simple. Meals include freshly cooked rice noodles, pasta or dumplings (Figure 12 | Tastes pretty good); accommodation is a dormitory room, 50 yuan per person, with 15-20 beds in a room... We took a look and found it hard to accept, so we decided to go down the mountain before dark and stay in Baiyu County, which is about an hour's drive from Gaden Monastery. There are many accommodation options in the county. I recommend the Zhaxi Youjia B&B Hotel, which opened in 2023. The Tibetan-style decoration is very tasteful, the service is very good, and the breakfast is also good~ There are only three Vajra Seats in the world: one is the Vajra Seat in Bodh Gaya, India, the holy place where Buddha attained enlightenment; the second is the Vajra Seat in Kathok, the holy place of Padmasambhava and 100,000 rainbow bodies; and the third is Mount Wutai, the holy place of Manjushri. Gaden Monastery, whose full name is "Gaden Dorjedan", means "Vajra Seat built on a huge stone with the word "Ga" engraved on it". It was first built during the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty 860 years ago, with an altitude of 4,800 meters. The foundation stone of Gaden Shiming Buddhist College was laid in 2005 and construction started in 2008. It has now been completed and opened for study. The first phase can accommodate more than 2,000 teachers and students for study and living. "Ten Mings" refers to the big and small five Mings. The "five major sciences" are craftsmanship, medicine, grammar, logic, and inner knowledge; the "five minor sciences" include rhetoric, rhetoric, rhythm, drama, and astrology.