Bird view of the Drepung Monastery (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

It would be unusual if the Drepung Monastery is not listed on your tour itinerary to Tibet. It is the largest among all Tibetan monasteries and the most important monastery of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Main hall of the Drepung Monastery (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

Established in 1416, it is also one of the three great monasteries of Tibet. The other two are the Ganden Monastery and the Sera Monastery.

Bird view of the Drepung Monastery (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

Situated a few miles west of Lhasa, the 700-year-old monastery covers an area of 250,000 square meters. It houses 7,700 monks and had 141 fazendas and 540 pastures in its heyday.

Bird view of the Drepung Monastery (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

The monastery stands at the foot of the Gambo Utse mountain. Its name Drepung means a pile of rice, as row upon row of white buildings look just like rice pile from afar.

A lama walks in the Drepung Monastery on Sept. 1, 2016 . (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

Against an impressive mountainous background, Drepung offers a majestic sight with its hundreds of large buildings nestled in a grandiose site.

A huge Thangka is exhibited at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa on Sept. 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Doje)

Every year, many traditional Tibetan festivities are celebrated at the monastery, such as the Horse-racing Festival, the Grand Prayer Festival and the Shoton Festival.

Lamas and believers pray before the huge Tangka at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa on Sept. 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Doje)

Last year, more than 200,000 Buddhists and people of other faiths came to Lhasa for the Shoton Festival, the highlight of which is the "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony.

A lama takes photo of the crowd before the huge Thangka for exhibition at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa on Sept. 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Doje)

At the ceremony, a 37-meter-wide, 40-meter-long giant Thangka painting depicting Buddha was taken out of the monastery and put on a platform for both visitors and believers.

A believer talks with lamas in the Drepung Monastery on Sept. 1, 2016 . (Xinhua/Gyaincain)

The Drepung Monastery also houses many cultural relics like rare Thangka scrolls and Buddhist scriptures.