Lhasa Great Prayer Festival — Monlam Chenmo

Prayer Festival 

 

Lhasa Great Prayer Festival

The Great Prayer Festival, known in Tibetan as Monlam Chenmo (སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་), is one of the most important religious festivals in Lhasa. It is a major Tibetan Buddhist gathering dedicated to prayer, merit-making, and the celebration of Buddha’s teachings.

The festival was established in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It became an annual event bringing together thousands of monks from the great monasteries of the Lhasa region. The festival usually begins shortly after Tibetan New Year and run for a week long. 

During the Great Prayer Festival, Lhasa fills with pilgrims from across Tibet. The Barkhor area becomes vibrant with devotees performing prostrations and spinning prayer wheels. The atmosphere blends solemn devotion with a sense of communal unity.