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Tashilhunpo Monastery, the home of the Panchen Lama, is located on the hillside overlooking Shigatse northwest of the town. It was established in 1447 by Genden Trup, a disciple of the founder of the Gelugpa Order. Genden Trup was later named the first Dalai Lama. Later, the fifth Dalai Lama named the Abbot of Tashilhunpo as the first Panchen Lama, second only to the Dalai Lama. Ever since then, the title of Panchen Lama has been one and the same with the Abbot of this monastery.
This temple for the most part escaped the ravages of the Cultural Revolution and its chapels contain countless statues and mural decorated halls. Find the Chapel of Maitreya as you enter the Monastery. Inside there is a 26 meter high statue of the Maitreya Buddha which is the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. Also, the tombs (burial stupas or chorten) of most of the Panchen Lamas are housed in the Monastery. Worthy of note is the Tomb of the tenth Panchen Lama who passed away in 1989. |
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Yamdrok-tso
Yamdrok-tso, one of the four holy lakes of the Tibetan people, is situated on the way from Lhasa to Gyangtze which is the old route from Lhasa to Shigatse. The bus travels up a 4794M high mountain through rugged muddy road before reaching the lake,the journey is really breathtaking since the bus drives right on the edge of the cliff. But all these will be rewarded when you suddenly find yourself on the top of the mountain and the stunningly beautiful blue lake under the other side of the peak. |
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Gyantse
Gyantse, is the other major urban center here, 254km from lhasa most famous for its stunning KumBum, a place of great religious and artistic reverence and importance. The summer is a particularly lively time to visit here when a horse racing and archery festival takes place in June and July. Gyantse was an important wool trading post between Tibet and India in medieval times. At the beginning of the 20th Century Gyantse rose to prominence again when Younghusband's British expedition took the fort before marching on to Lhasa. |
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The Gyantse Kumbum is one of Tibet's most famous and impressive sights- a gorgeous and ornate building, the art work here is studied by Tibetan art scholars across the world.
The Temple was built in 1440 by Rabten Kunsangm, a Gyantse Prince and named "Kumbum" or the "Hall of 100 thousand images". This is a spectacularly well preserved chorten, crowned with a golden dome and still containing literally thousands of wonderful murals. The interior too is largely intact and spread out over six levels. It could take up to half a day to explore properly here and there are more than 70 chapels on the first four levels alone. Scholars arrive with bags of reference books and flashlights to see some of the oldest preserved murals in Tibet. The real highlight are the views from the sixth level where you emerge next to the chorten's eyes. The surrounding countryside and the city below look very impressive from up here. |
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Tsetang
Tsetang (Zetang), the birthplace of earliest Tibetans, sits on the south bank in the middle section of the Yarlung Tsangbo River with a moderate climate at an altitude of 3,600 meters. The nearby Yarlung River scenic area is a national scenic park with Samye Monastery, Yumbu Lhakang Palace, burial site for Tsampos and Traduk Monastery spotting the region. |
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| The Samye Monastery was the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Under the aegis of Tubo King Trison Detsan, construction of the monastery began in 779 and was completed in 12 years. The presence of the monastery indicated the growing strength of Tibetan Buddhism. However, the Tubo king's policy of supporting lamas at the expense of the populace fostered wide spread public disaffection. |
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| Yumbu Lhakang is seen on the top of a hill of Yarlung Valley Friday Aug. 22, 2003 near Tsetang, about 200 kilometers, 125 miles, from Lhasa, Tibet, far west of China. The castle-like palace was built by Nyatri Tsanpo, the first Tibetan king, in the 2nd century B.C. The palace plays an important role in the origin of Tibetan history and culture. |
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