Tsurphu Monastery

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Tsurphu (Tibetan: མཚུར་ཕུ་; Wylie: Mtshur-phu; ZWPY: Curpu) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which served as the traditional seat of the Karmapa. It is located in the Tolung area of Central Tibet in the Dowo Lung valley, 70 km from Lhasa. It is 14000 feet above sea level and built in the middle of the valley facing south, with high mountains surrounding the monastery complex. Tsurphu is a 300m² complex with walls up to 4 meters thick.

Tsurphu was founded by the first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa in 1159 after he visited the site and laid the foundation for an establishment of a seat there by making offerings to the local protectors. In 1189 he revisited the site and founded his main seat there. The monastery grew to hold 1000 monks. It was totally destroyed in 1966 during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and began to be rebuilt in 1980 by the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rikpai Dorje. Following the recogntion of Urgyen Trinley Dorje by Tai Situpa and the Chinese government, Urgyen Trinley was enthroned at Tsurphu. He resided there until he escaped from Tibet to India in 2000.