Tidrum nunnery and the medicinal hot-springs

Tidrum nunnery is located 130 kilometers northeast of Lhasa with an altitude of 4,500m, and it takes 3 hours by driving. Tidrum nunnery, integrated with the hot springs, which was founded and blessed by Tantric Master Lotus Student. It is an 1150-year-old nunnery, there have been many great achievers of the Drigung sect who practiced and preached Buddhism. The nunnery has countless precious cultural relics and many scriptures and other holy goods, and the fame of the sacred spring also comes from this. The elderly and the sick are helped by their relatives to take the hot-spring for a few days or even a few weeks. It is believed that chanting Buddhist sutras and bathing in the hot spring will bring good luck and health.

As early as the 8th century AD, the Master Padmasambhava (Lotus Master) had practiced in a natural cave in the back mountain of this place. In 1281 AD, the 10th master of Drigung Monastery, Nijie Dorjejeb, built the first monastery of cultivation. After many times of expansion, it formed a complex of 62 practiced caves with the main hall of Drigung assembly as the center.

Tidrum Nunnery is located in the northwest of Drigung Til monastery, which takes about 30 minutes’ drive. Tidrum, with its medicinal hot-springs, has a great location in a narrow gorge at the confluence of two streams. The small nunnery has strong connections to Yeshe Tsogyel, the wife of King Trisong Detsen. The Kandro-la, the resident spiritual leader of the nunnery, is considered a reincarnation of Yeshe Tsogyel.

Tidrum hot-spring dating back more than 1400 years, the natural hot spring without water treatment, you can feel the mark of history. There is a hot spring pool for foot bathing, which is said to treat arthritis. Legend has it that a deer was injured on the mountain and often came to this place with a lame leg in a small pond, and soon it recovered from the leg injury. This small water pond is now called "Deer Spring" by local people. The water temperature is about 48 ℃. It is said that many people really cured their leg problems and even abandoned their crutches when they came here to take the medicinal hot-spring.

Tidrum medicinal hot-spring is located at the bottom of a gorge hundreds of meters deep. It looks like it is surrounded by mountains, however, the mountains are placid and the north and the south are far away apart. Therefore, you don't feel narrow or dusky when you are in the hot springs. Instead, the field of vision is wide and you will get panoramic scenery.

From the entrance of the Tidrum hot spring to the north, along with the greenstone steps, more than 30 steps then you will get to the Tidrum Nunnery. The temple hall has two floors, extraordinary momentum. A large platform in front of the door, paved with stone slabs, is very smooth and clean. There is a courtyard on the west side of the platform, which is the dining room of nuns and the office of the administrative committee of Tidrum Nunnery. In the main hall, there are lotus clay statues, gold and silver sutras, and frescoes of monk figures. At its peak, Tidrum Nunnery had more than 108 nuns and now has 90.

If you have a day to spare, you could do a tough day hike up to the Kiri Yangdzong caves, associated with Yeshe Tsogyal. The trails ascend to 5,180m to visit the caves and descend steeply down a scree slope to Dranang Monastery. 

The medicinal hot springs are delightful and surrounded by wooden canopies. According to the analysis, the water in Tidrum Hot Spring contains sulfur, cold water stones, stone asphalt, coltsfoot, coal, and other beneficial minerals. It can treat stomach ulcers, kidney deficiency, puffiness, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and body stiffness, Sores, pains, scabies, ulcers, but also to clear the meridians, reconcile breath and blood circulation, eliminate illnesses, and lose weight.

There are separate men's and women's bathrooms, but only a low wall to divide. The conditions and facilities are poor, there is no shower room. Here, it is very easy to distinguish between Tibetans and tourists. Tibetans are all naked to enjoy the hot-spring, but tourists will shyly wear bathing suits into the pool. Some enthusiastic locals will tell you: it has no effect if you wear clothes to take the hot-spring.

There is a saying on the brand of Tidrum medicinal hot-springs: People come with sorrow and return with joy. Whether it is heart disease or physical pain, there are Buddha Blessing and Medicinal Bath God Spring, and leave with happiness and good fortune.

• The admission is 30RMB Per Person. And the operation time is 24 hours.
• With the altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level, enjoying the hot-spring for a long time can easily lead to altitude sickness.
• Most of the accommodation conditions here are rudimentary. The best hotel Shambhala Source offers private rooms with a private bathroom, and the hot-spring pools are also available in some rooms. 
• Tidrum medicinal hot-springs have been blessed by many eminent monks, the stones at the bottom of the pool cannot be taken away.