Tibet's Gandan Temple Celebrates Buddha Worship Festival

Tibet's Gandan Temple Celebrates Buddha Worship Festival

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The Gandan Temple, one of the three major temples in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, celebrated its traditional festival of Zhanfo, which means "Buddha in sunshine" with thousands of native Tibetans and foreign guests and tourists in attendance.

Some 20,000 religious people and local residents as well as tourists from all over the world gathered around the temple to watch and participate in the festival celebrations.

The religious ceremony began at about noon, accompanied by scripture-reading. On a nearby hill was hung a huge cloth printed with a portrait of Buddha for worshipers to pray to.

The Gandan Temple was built in the 1409. In 1993, China's central government invested some 3.2 million US dollars to rebuild it.