Kandze Monastery

Built in the first year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1662). Founded by Dalai Lama V’s disciple with a history of nearly five hundred years. The monastery was built c. 1642 CE by the Khoshut or Qosot Mongols overlooking their castles known as Mazur and Khangsar. It once housed 1,500 monks making it, with Chamdo, the largest in Kham. The pilgrimage circuit around the monastery was almost eight kilometres long. In the 1909-1918 war the castles were occupied by Chinese troops and are now in ruins.

It has been extensively renovated since 1981 and now houses about 700 monks, including three tulkus - one of whom, Lamdark Rinpoche, returned from Switzerland and established a girls' school.[3][4]