Brief / profile

Also called Palcho Monastery, the Palkhor Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhism monastery with a unique structural style. Moreover, it’s also the monument of architecture period.

Location

The monastery stands about 230 km south of Lhasa and 100 km from the east of Shigatse.

History
It was firstly established in 1418 and it took 8 years to complete the main hall and other sub-halls in the monastery. In 1427, the construction of Myriad Buddha Stupa began and finished in 10 years.

Architecture / Structure / Each scenery.
In the monastery, the Bodhi Dagoba, the Main Assembly Hall, murals as well as Zhacang are especially outstanding.
Firstly, the Bodhi Dagoba with the height of 32 meters is a 9-tier building composed of 108 gates, 76 chapels as well as shrines. The chapels inside overlap each other, thus this structure earned the name of “tower upon tower”.
Secondly, also called “Tshomchen”, the Main Assembly Hall is a 3-story building with a history of 500 years or so. There’re the Main Chapel with 48 columns, the cloister as well as the Eastern and Western Chapels on the first floor. The bronze statue of Salyamuni is in the Main Chapel. On the second floor, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Arhats and White Tara are dedicated. In addition, Dakinis, Amitabha Buddha as well as esoteric Buddhism murals are on display.
Thirdly, the Myriad Buddha Stupa is a must-visit resort with an area of 2,200 square meters. There’re altogether 108 gates and 77 chapels. The stupa also enjoys the name of Bddha figure museum since there’re thousands of copper, Gold and mud figures of Buddha besides the famous painting of millions Buddha.
Fourthly, the murals inside are also worth visiting. They present various subjects such as 2 kinds of Buddhism (local and inland), Tibetan Buddhism stories and so on.
In addition, the Saka Dawa Festival is held on April, 15th to commemorate Sakyamuni. On that day, 500 Lamas chant sutras and loyal pilgrims gather in the monastery.

Transportation.
Palkhor Monastery is in the central area of Gyangts County, so you can get there just on foot.

Admission fee.
The admission fee for this scenic spot is RMB 40.

Note
It’s open to the public from 9：10 to 16:00 and the suggested time for a visit is 2 hours. Moreover, visitors should pay RMB 5 if you’d like to take pictures in the Stupa. In addition, another RMB 15 is needed for the entrance of Myriad Buddha Stupa with a camera. However, it’s really a worthwhile visit.