Dázhāsì

Dazha Monastery stands on the high grasslands of the Zoige region, north of Songpan. It belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and was founded in 1663 by the first Dazha lama, Chökyi Monlam Lhundrup. The monastery became a centre of religious life for the surrounding highland communities. Its Tibetan name, Stag tsha dgon, gives the settlement its name, while the monastery's halls and religious buildings express the close ties between Buddhist institutions and the people of the plateau.