Shalu stands about twenty kilometres south-east of Shigatse, in flat farming country at the foot of the hills, and it is not much to look at from outside: a low-walled compound of white and ochre buildings with an unusual roofline. Inside, it holds one of the most important cycles of religious painting in Tibet, and the monastery gave its name to a whole school of Tibetan art.
The murals
The wall paintings at Shalu are what people come for. They were made in the fourteenth century, when the monastery was rebuilt and enlarged under the patronage of the Yuan imperial court, and they combine Tibetan, Chinese and - most strikingly - Newari influences from the Kathmandu valley. Nepalese artists are known to have worked in Tibet at this period, and the Shalu murals show it in the modelling of the faces, the treatment of drapery and the density of the decorative detail. The resulting style, with strong line work and rich but disciplined colour, spread widely through central Tibet and became one of the dominant modes of Tibetan painting. Because the halls are dark, the murals need time and a torch or a good guide to be seen properly.
The architecture
The building itself is a curiosity: a Tibetan monastery with Chinese elements, including a roof over one of the main halls that is covered in green glazed tiles of a type otherwise found on imperial buildings in China. The plan is a courtyard surrounded by chapels at ground level, with the principal halls rising behind, and the structure has survived earthquakes and the twentieth century better than many comparable sites, which is part of why the paintings are still there. The monastery is small, active and quiet, with a resident community and a steady trickle of pilgrims.
Practical notes
Shalu is a short drive from Shigatse and is normally visited as a half-day trip from the city, combined with the Tashilhunpo monastery and the old town. It charges a modest admission and is open during daylight hours, closing for part of the middle of the day. Photography of the murals is generally not allowed and the rule is enforced; ask before using a camera at all. The route from Shigatse is easy and can be done by hired car or taxi, and the drive through the fields south of the city, with the Himalayan ranges visible on clear days, is worth the trip on its own.
