Little boxes on the hillside... home to 40,000 Buddhist monks: The stunning makeshift town that has sprung up around a Tibetan monastery

The remote settlement located in the Larung Valley, Serthar County of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China

The thousands of tiny homes sprawled up the mountainside form one of the world's largest Buddhist institutes


Nestled amid the rolling mountains, deep within the Larung Gar Valley, thousands of tiny wooden homes form one of the world's largest Buddhist institutes.

The remote but sprawling settlement is found at elevations of 12,500ft and is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and religious students.

It is located in the Larung Valley, Serthar County of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China.

The sprawling hillside settlement of Larung Gar, home to Serthar Buddhist Institute, in the traditional Tibetan region of Kham

The thousands of tiny homes sprawl up a mountainside forming one of the world's largest Buddhist Institutes

The remote settlement is found at elevations of 12,500ft and is home to over 40,000 monks, nuns and religious students

The homes are predominantly made out of wood. Each one is built so close to the next that they all begin to merge into rows of homes

It is said to have sprung up from a handful of settlers into the sprawling town that now occupies vast areas of hilly terrain.

At the focal point is a giant Buddhist monastery - the Serthar Buddhist Institute - with a huge wall separating the monks from the nuns.

The homes are predominantly made out of wood. Each one is built so close to the next that they all begin to merge into rows of homes.

Located in a valley, the town allegedly sprung up from a handful of settlers into the sprawling town that now occupies vast areas of hilly terrain

The tiny homes are predominantly made out of wood and are almost identical to each other

At the focal point is a giant monastery - with a huge wall separating the monks from the nuns

Japanese photographer Shinya Itahana, 33, visited the Larung Gar Valley a number of times to capture the eye-catching town in both summer and winter

The sprawling settlement of homes are a beautiful sight. The photographer said the makeshift town is 'a very welcoming place as long as you do not disturb the peaceful atmosphere'

But the one to three roomed dwellings do not have their own toilets - instead communal ones have been built for the 40,000 plus residents.

Japanese photographer Shinya Itahana, 33, visited the Larung Gar Valley a number of times to capture the eye-catching town in both summer and winter.

He said: 'It is a very welcoming place as long as you do not disturb the peaceful atmosphere. It has become a bit of a tourist attraction - not just with pilgrims but some foreigners too.'

Reaching the picturesque hillside town is not an easy task, with the nearest large city, Chengdu, being located around 400 miles away.

The journey by car can take around 13 - 15 hours. Shinya added: 'During the winter months it can take longer, around a day, because the road conditions are so poor.'



But that has not stopped people flooding to the Buddhist institute to study Tibetan Buddhism.



Some of the thousands of monks gather outside the settlement of Larung Gar. It is home to Serthar Buddhist Institute