Drepung Monastery... ruins

Drepung was the largest monastery in the world at its peak, and it held alot of power politically because of this. So when the Chinese brought the Cultural Revolution down in Tibet, they destroyed a large part of Drepung. The residence buildings were shelled particularly hard. It is easy to forget this while walking around the cobblestone walkways and huge whitewashed walls that make up the overwhelming labyrinth of the currently used and most visited parts of the monastery. But if you keep following the path up, above the main chapels and go a little furthur still, you will see a different side of Drepung.