Fire offering ceremony held to pray for peace, harmony in Tibet

Photo taken on March 26, 2013 shows the scene of the fire offering ceremony at the Gandan Monastery in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The fire offering ceremony is a special ceremony in the Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. It is a sacrificial ritual of divinity worshiping in which believers burn the tributes, crops, tree branches and incantation tallies to pray for peace and harmony.

Gandan Monastery, in Dagze County, 60 kilometers to the east of Lhasa, it is one of the three great monasteries in Lhasa and one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug Sect. Gandain means happiness and contentedness in Tibetan. The Gandain Monastery was built in early 15th century under the supervision of Zonggaba, the founder of the Gelug Sect. The main buildings include the Coqen Hall, the Chamaber of Zonggaba and the colleges of Yangbajian.

Trekking tour from Gandan Monastery to Samye Monastery within 11 days is reccomend in early spring.