Sacred land gathered 40,000 monks

Sertar in Garze Province, Tibet is located 600 km from Chengdu, China, and is home to the Larung Gar school - the largest Buddhist institute in the world.

The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy was established in 1980. The nuns who go to school must regularly cross the 4 km long distance in the harsh mountainous conditions.

Larung Valley, where the academy is located is also home to the Tibetans. They live with monks and nuns studying here.

Larung Gar was founded in a remote location, but is still one of the centers with the greatest influence on Buddhism in the world.

Today, Sertar becomes the "common home" for 40,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. Apart from the Tibetan disciples, the land attracts Buddhist monks and nuns from all over mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Sertar is located quite far from major cities, the nearest place is Chengdu - China also takes up to 15-20 hours drive. Because this is a sensitive area, foreign visitors will have many difficulties when visiting.

Half of the Larung Gar Academy's disciples are female. While other places in Tibet only accept a small number of students, this place accepts anyone who really wants to study Buddhism.

The houses of Sertar people and Buddhist monks and nuns are mostly made of wood, built in traditional style and so close to each other that they can be seen from afar as if they are overlapping.