Sara Monastery

Sera lies on the northern edge of Lhasa at the base of Tatipu Hill. 'Sera' means 'merciful hail' denoting its rivalry with the 'Rice Heap' (Drepong) since hail destroys rice. Sera was smaller than Drepong with about 7,000 monks but was very rich and comparable in power. Today it has about 300 monks and some of its buildings house a farm. Founded in 1419, Sera was famous for its Tantric teachings and its small army of warrior monks - called the dob-dobs who were admired as athletes but feared.