Visit the highly respected Sera Monastery, an important center of Buddhism that has grown into neighboring India and several other countries. You will take a short drive with your guide just north of Lhasa to this great complex of structures, including a Great Assembly Hall. Upon arrival, you will learn about the monastery’s history and its 19 hermitages in the nearby Himalayan foothills that have evolved into revered places of learning, including four nunneries. Completed in 1419, Sera Monastery in Lhasa houses three religious colleges and boasts important collections of manuscripts, tapestries, statues and murals. It is also renowned for its lively debates among the young monks, said to be integral to the learning process as they refine an understanding of Buddhist philosophy. The style of debate, which incorporates animated gestures and strict procedures and rules, is exclusive to Sera and infuses the school with a youthful energy.