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SCHOOL'S AMA-ZEN

Inside the world’s biggest student village where thousands of trainee Buddhist monks live in technicolour mountain homes

Larung Gar Buddhist is home to more than 10,000 students perched on 13,000ft mountainside

THESE stunning images capture the majesty and mayhem of the world’s largest Buddhist school – perched precariously on a mountainside in China.

More than 10,000 nuns and monks live around the astonishing Larung Gar Buddhist Institute, dotted with student digs painted in Tibetan red – all at 13,000ft above sea level.

The student haven is among the most densely-populated student digs in the world - and welcomes thousands more Tibetan Buddhists every year
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The student haven is among the most densely-populated student digs in the world - and welcomes thousands more Tibetan Buddhists every yearCredit: mediadrumworld.com
American snapper Jesse Earl Rockwell spent six days at the settlement and caught the positive spirit of the remote outpost
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American snapper Jesse Earl Rockwell spent six days at the settlement and caught the positive spirit of the remote outpostCredit: mediadrumworld.com
He spent time recording the wooden cabins where monks eat, sleep and pray as they study
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He spent time recording the wooden cabins where monks eat, sleep and pray as they studyCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
The Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in China is home to more than 10,000 students learning from masters in their faith
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The Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in China is home to more than 10,000 students learning from masters in their faithCredit: mediadrumworld.com
The remarkable settlement nestles 13,000ft up in the mountains of the Sichuan province of China
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The remarkable settlement nestles 13,000ft up in the mountains of the Sichuan province of ChinaCredit: mediadrumworld.com
The cabins of the city, on the Gharze Prefecture, are painted red in a nod to their inhabitants' Tibetan heritage
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The cabins of the city, on the Gharze Prefecture, are painted red in a nod to their inhabitants' Tibetan heritageCredit: mediadrumworld.com

Located in the Gharze Prefecture of Sichuan, China, the remarkable settlement is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world today.

Thousands of Buddhists flock to centre of learning every year to receive instruction from followers of the faith.

American photographer Jesse Earl Rockwell, 32, visited the settlement and spent six days cataloguing the remarkable way of life.

Most of the students hail from the Tibetan region of China, which has sought independence from China since 1951.

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The rugged and harsh landscape is apparent as the snow-capped peaks of the surrounding mountains emerge over the township
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The rugged and harsh landscape is apparent as the snow-capped peaks of the surrounding mountains emerge over the townshipCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
Many thousands of nuns also study and pray at the sacred site in China's southern region
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Many thousands of nuns also study and pray at the sacred site in China's southern regionCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
Among the tiny shacks are golden Buddhist temples, also perched precariously on the mountainside
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Among the tiny shacks are golden Buddhist temples, also perched precariously on the mountainsideCredit: mediadrumworld.com
The Buddhist students are not entirely alone in the mountainous valley. Giant vultures swoop over the rooftops of the township
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The Buddhist students are not entirely alone in the mountainous valley. Giant vultures swoop over the rooftops of the townshipCredit: mediadrumworld.com
The town is considered to be far-removed from the tourist trail and very rarely welcomes Western visitors
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The town is considered to be far-removed from the tourist trail and very rarely welcomes Western visitorsCredit: mediadrumworld.com
Temperatures in the region can plummet to -25C in the winter with highs of 30C during the summer
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Temperatures in the region can plummet to -25C in the winter with highs of 30C during the summerCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com

Tibetans are captured leading their everyday lives amid the soaring peaks of the region all while the diverse birds of the mountainous regions soar overhead.

The site grew from a mere handful of students who established the camp following the end of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1976, to more than 10,000 today.

An estimated 4,000 of those are believed to be women training to become nuns.

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