Samye is Tibet's first monastery and one of the most important Buddhist sites on the plateau. Built in 779 AD under royal patronage, it is designed as a three-dimensional mandala — the central Utse temple represents Mount Meru, the cosmic axis, surrounded by smaller chapels representing the continents and oceans of Buddhist cosmology. The design is unique and remarkable, and the monastery remains an active place of worship and pilgrimage.
Getting to Samye requires crossing the Yarlung Tsangpo river, either by ferry or by a bridge downstream. The crossing adds to the sense of arrival. The grounds are large and can take two to three hours to explore properly. The central temple has excellent surviving murals and statuary, some dating back to the original construction. Accommodation is available in the monastery guesthouse for those who want to spend a night and see morning prayers.