Ngagpa is one of Drepung’s four tratsang (colleges) and was devoted to Tantric study. The chapel is dedicated to bull-headed Dorje Jigje (Yamantaka), a Tantric meditational deity who serves as an opponent to the forces of impermanence. The important cartoon-style Dorje Jigje image in the inner sanctum is said to have been fashioned by Tsongkhapa himself.
Walking clockwise, other statues include the Gadong oracle (first clockwise), Nagpo Chenpo (third), Drölma (fourth), Tsongkhapa (fifth), the fifth Dalai Lama (seventh) and, by the door, the Nechung oracle. Look for bull-headed Chögyel to the side, his hand almost thrusting out of the expanded glass cabinet. Pilgrims spin the ancient prayer wheel in the corner of the room.
To get a feel for what Drepung was like before the renovation teams arrived, follow the signs up to the Samlo Kangtsang, unrestored and surrounded by melancholic ruins.
As you follow the pilgrim path (clockwise) around the back of the assembly hall you will pass the small Jampelyang Temple. Just a little further, tucked in on the right of the main building, is the tiny meditation cave of Drepung founder Jamyang Chöje, with some fine rock paintings.
