Tibet Travel Guide

Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse
The Tashilhunpo Monastery, the biggest Gelugpa monastery in the Tsang regions of Tibet, sprawls on the slope of Mt. Niser, south-west of Shigatse.

It covers an area of about 300,000 square meters with a floor space of about 30,000 square meters. Painted in red and white' the buildings in the monastery stand closely together in terraced rows, offering a grand and majestic view.

The monastery was founded in 1447 by Gendun Zhuba, one of the principal disciples of the Founder of the Yellow Sect Zongkaba, and was then enlarged consistently by different generations of Panchen Lama until it acquired its present dimensions. Gendun Zhuba was first abbot of the monastery, and in 1600 at the invitation of the monastery, the 4th Panchen Lama became the 16th abbot of it, thus made the monastery abode of the succeeding Panchen Lamas ever since.

The Ngagpa College (Tantric College), one of its four monastic colleges, was the residence of the Panchen Lamas, the most amazing image in this monastery is the statue of giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914, and took four years for its establishment. This giant statue stands twenty-six metres in height and 275kg in weight of solid gold, great quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers have absolved for its construction. The 4th Panchen Lama's funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it stands eleven metres high and is covered with solid gold and silver.

There are many other valuable and rare historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of gold and jade signets, and imperial certificates bestowed by Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as a seal of"Daitu" of the Yuan Dynasty scribed in the new Mongolian language reformed by Basba. They are of great value for the study of history.

		Fact of Tibet

		Tibet Problem of Altitude Tibet Travel Permit Flight Schedule of Lhasa Things to take Climate of Tibet Hotels in Tibet Map of Tibet Introduction of Tibet Lhasa Potala Palace, Lhasa Jokhang Monastery, Lhasa Barkhor Street, Lhasa Norbulingka, Lhasa Drepong Monastery, Lhasa Sera Monastery, Lhasa Museum of Tibet Gandan Monastery, Lhasa Gyantse Yamdok Yumtso Lake Kumbum Monastery Nagqu Terrestrial Heat Lake Namtso		Shigatse Tashilhunpo Monastery Sakya Monastery Mt. Everest Camp Shalu Monastery Tibetan Culture Festival Calendar Religion of Buddhism Buddist Sects Buddism in China Customs in Tibet Art of Tangka Tsedang Samye Monastery Yunbulakang Changzhu Monastery Nagri Mt. Kailas Lake Manasarova

		Tibet tour and Tibet travel

		Local Tours to Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse 04 days Discover Lhasa 10 days Lhasa-Tsedang-Gyantse-Shigatse-Mt. Everest-Nepel 12 days Lhasa-Tsedang-Samye-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse-Shigatse 13 days Lhasa-Tsedang-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse-Shigatse-Mt. Everest Base Camp-Tingri-Zhangmu-Kathmandu China Tours to Tibet 12 days Beijing-Chengdu-Lhasa-Xian-Shanghai 14 Kunming-Lijiang-Hutiao Gorge-Zhongdian-Lhasa-Shigatse-Chengdu 20 days Beijing-Xian-Lhasa-Chengdu-Yangtze Cruise-Shanghai-Guilin