The Buddha first turned the Wheel of Dharma in Sarnath, Varanasi. This brought benefit to many sentient beings. Since that time, monasteries have played an important role in the history of the spread of the Dharma as a place to listen, contemplate, and practice the Dharma.

 

Currently, the roof of the Simdha Monastery in Tibet is getting platted with gold. You find the picture attached here. This Monastery has a 700 over year-old history and is amongst the oldest Buddhist monasteries in the world and it likes in Derge, Kham district, a region located in Eastern Tibet near the border with Sichuan.