Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama “Gedun Drupa”. He was one of the main disciples of master Tsongkhapa.
The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is the biggest Gelugpa learning centre in the Tsang Region or the present Shigatse prefecture. It is built next to Shigatse main town at the base of Nyeseri hill. This hill is considered sacred.
After the second Dalia Lama moved to the Drepung monastery in Lhasa. It became the main Monastery for successive Panchen Lamas ever since It became the official residence to Panchen Lama.
There are four main colleges which are Shartse, Kyikhang, Tosamling and Ngakpa college. Also, there are five major chapels to visit.
Moving clockwise along the back of the Monastery; The first chapel is dedicated to Chamba or Maitreya, The future buddha. It has one of the biggest bronze statues in Tibet. This statue is of the Maitreya.
Next to that is three chapels with the funeral stupa of the Panchen Lamas. The one in the centre is for the 10th Panchen Lama, and beside it, there is the funeral stupa of the fourth Panchen Lama.
The last Chepal on the left side was build in the late 1980s. Inside it, there is a funeral stupa consisting of blessing bodies of fifth to ninth Panchen Lamas.
Below the chapel, there is the main assembly hall with Buddha Shakyamuni’s statue in the centre. By the two sides of the wall, there are statues of Boddhisatavas and other important masters.
Both in Pass and present, monks from all over the Tsang region come here to study. Historically even monks from Ladakh would go here for Buddhist instructions.
Travellers Guide to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery
Tashi Lhunpo is a significant attraction in the Shigatse. You will be visiting this Monastery if you are staying for a night in the town. For me, this is a unique monastery as compare to that of the Monastery in Lhasa.
It is highly recommendable for travellers to go hiking around the circumambulation path around the Monastery. From here, you can see the entire city of Shigatse, it Samdruptse fort and the Monastery.
You can read more Tibet travel guide from this link or visit our travel agency website: https://itibettravel.com.
Recommend Reading
