Shekar (The Shining Crystal Monastery)

     Shekar (or Shegar) is the only Gelugpa monastery in the Everest region.  Founded in 1266, by the Sakya lama, Sindeu Rinchen, Shekar Chode eventually became a Gelugpa monastery affilitated with Sera.  Like Rongphuk, the monastery had started as a collection of meditation huts, but it eventually became a fully fledged monastery under the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century.  It was known for its good printing center and fine woodblock library.  It was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but since 1984, some buildings have been repaired. 

Chela Kunasz, 1983