Brief / profile

Extending an area of about 300,000 square meters, the Tashilhunpo Monastery is the largest temple in Xigaze region of Tibet as well as the seat of the Panchen Lama who is the 2nd most important religious leader of Tibet.

Location
It’s situated on the foot of Drolmari in the center of Shigatse, about 250 km from Lhasa-the capital city of Tibet.

History
This monastery was constructed by Gendunzhuba- the first Dalai Lama in 1447. Later, it was expanded and innovated by the 4th and successive Panchen Lamas.
In 1791, the monastery was attacked by the army of Nepalese Gurkha warriors, but was banished by Chinese.
During its prime time, the Tashilhunpo Monastery held more than 4,000 monks and 4 Tantric colleges.
During the 1960s, many senior lamas left Tibet. However, the late Panchen Lama did not leave and a lot of senior lamas in Tashilhunpo Monastery still stayed in Tibet. In 1972, Tibetan exiles established a new campus for the monastery, but it was still at a disadvantage.
In the early 1980s, some sections of the Tashilhunpo Monastery were open to the public. Nowadays, it has become a hot scenic resort in Tibet.

Architecture / Structure / Each scenery.
The Tashilhunpo Monastery is mainly composed of 3 structures: the Panchen Lama’s Palace, the Maitreya Chapel as well as the Kelsang Temple.