Only a handful of monks are permanent residents of the monastery which belongs to the Gelugpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Whilst the monastery was only built about 90 years ago, it stands on the site of a small temple built around 500 years ago.
 
"Another memorable experience of the trip was the evening we went to the local cinema. We arrived half an hour before the start only to find crowds fighting to get tickets. There seemed to be no way we were going to get in until I noticed a side door marked Manager’s Office. I knocked and asked about tickets and he invited us to sit in his private box upstairs. Although the film was the most fantastic load of rubbish it was quite entertaining, with the mainly male audience, booing and shouting at anything approaching a love scene, and clapping after an actor sang a song. The place was packed and I am glad we were able to experience it all from the comfort of that box. - MH