Protests against China's alleged plans to demolish part of the revered Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Sertar county, in the remote Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, are planned around the world.

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The Larung Gar Buddhist Institute is seen in the Larung Valley of Sertar county, in the remote Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The institute was founded in 1980 by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, an influential lama of the Nyingma sect. Despite its remote location, it grew from just a handful of disciples meeting at Khenpo's house to become the world's largest and most influential centre for Tibetan Buddhist studies.

Houses for the thousands of monks and nuns who come to study at Larung Gar are packed together tightly on the hills above the monastery. Chinese authorities have built a perimeter road, outside which construction is not permitted. Chinese officials are reported to have cited overcrowding concerns, ordering the population of the centre to be reduced by half to 5,000.

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The homes of Buddhist nuns and monks from the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Fred Dufour/AFP
Larung Gar Buddhist institute
A Tibetan Buddhist nun walks past dwellings on her way to a chanting session Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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Monks walk along a road at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Larung Gar Buddhist institute
Buddhist monks and nuns leave the monastery after praying at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Fred Dufour/AFP
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A Tibetan Buddhist nomad woman prostrates at a monastery during the annual Utmost Bliss Dharma Assembly Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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A Tibetan Buddhist woman prostrates herself during the Bliss Dharma Assembly at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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Tibetan Buddhist nuns prepare butter lamps during the annual Utmost Bliss Dharma Assembly Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Larung Gar Buddhist institute
People drink yak butter tea at a lodge where thousands gather for daily chanting sessions Damir Sagolj/Reuters
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Tibetan Buddhist monks pray during a chanting session Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Larung Gar Buddhist institute
Tibetan Buddhists carry the body of a relative around a monastery before a sky burial ceremony at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Larung Gar Buddhist institute
Vultures that are used to consume the bodies of the dead fly in a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony known as a "sky burial"over the crowd Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
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Vultures gather on a hill near the Larung Wuming Buddhist Institute for a sky burial, in which bodies of deceased people are offered to vultures Damir Sagolj/Reuters
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A Tibetan Buddhist woman carries her son in the crowd on a hillside overlooking the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Protests against the actions are being organised in cities around the world on 19 October, with London's taking place outside the Chinese Embassy from 4pm.

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