The largest Buddhist settlement: 40,000 monks and nuns

Becky Pemberton

The largest Buddhist settlement in the world: Inside the village where 40,000 monks and nuns are segregated and televisions are banned… but iPhones are allowed

• The Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in China has basic amenities for the 40,000 monks and nuns who stay there
• The secluded location is 370 miles from Chengdu and has grown dramatically since its creation
• TVs are banned, and the huts of monks and nuns are segregated by a winding road through the middle

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is home to 40,000 monks and nuns, who travel to the settlement of Sertar to study Tibetan Buddhism

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is home to 40,000 monks and nuns, who travel to the settlement of Sertar to study Tibetan Buddhism

Among the green rolling hills in the Larung Gar Valley in China, the last thing you would expect to see in the countryside are thousands of red wooden huts that have been built in a massive cluster. Despite its secluded location it is home to the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the world’s largest Buddhist settlement. A vibrant splash of red, this colourful settlement has sprung up in the 1980s and is now a haven for over 40,000 monks and nuns.

The red and brown houses are nearly identical, with one to three rooms per hut and no heating or toilets installed

See more: … 40,000 monks and nuns