Tashilhunpo stands at the foot of a hill in Shigatse, Tibet's second city, about 270 kilometres west of Lhasa. It was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama and later became the seat of the Panchen Lamas, who are second only to the Dalai Lama in the Gelug hierarchy. It is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school and still houses a substantial community of monks.
The Maitreya Buddha
The most famous building on the site houses a colossal gilded statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. The statue is about 26 metres tall and was completed in 1914; it contains a large quantity of precious metal and is set inside a hall built specifically to house it. Visitors walk up a series of staircases inside the hall, passing the statue at close range from the feet to the shoulders, which is a much more effective way to understand its scale than looking up from the floor.
The rest of the monastery
Tashilhunpo is essentially a small town built up the hillside: whitewashed monk quarters, lanes, courtyards, printing houses and a succession of assembly halls and chapels. Several reliquary stupas hold the remains of former Panchen Lamas, covered in silver and gold and set with turquoise and coral. The main assembly hall is large and dark, with rows of cushions, murals and statues, and the courtyards east and west of it are where the monks gather. There is also a well-known printing house producing texts the traditional way, block by block.
Practical information
Tashilhunpo is normally visited as part of the Lhasa to Shigatse route, either by road over the Gampa La pass or by the faster southern road; both take about six to seven hours from Lhasa. Shigatse has hotels of a reasonable standard for an overnight stay. The monastery charges admission, is open all day, and requires modest dress; photography inside the halls is not permitted and there is a fee for a photography permit in the courtyards.
Timing
Allow two hours, more if you want to climb to the upper chapels on the hill. The festival calendar at Tashilhunpo includes major gatherings in summer, when the monastery is exceptionally busy, and the famous thangka unveiling on the hillside above the town takes place during one of those festivals. Foreign visitors must hold the correct permits and travel with a licensed guide.
