Yumbulagang stands on a narrow ridge above the Yarlung valley in Shannan, about two and a half hours by road from Lhasa. It is traditionally described as the first building constructed as a palace in Tibet, and although the present structure has been rebuilt many times, the site has been occupied since the early centuries of the Tibetan monarchy.
The building
The palace is a tall, narrow tower-house, rising in stages up the ridge with a fortified lower section, a middle chapel and an upper tower, all in white stone with dark window frames and a flat roof carrying prayer flags. It is small, and the climb up from the car park takes about twenty minutes on a steep path. From the top the whole valley is visible: fields, villages, the river and the bare brown hills beyond, which is the wider point of the site.
The Yarlung valley
This is where Tibetan history is generally said to begin. The valley holds the traditional sites of the first cultivated fields, the first irrigation works, and the first royal burial mounds of the Tibetan kings, which lie further down the valley on the plain. The tombs are large earth mounds, some excavated, and they are a quiet and surprisingly atmospheric place to visit, with very few tourists compared with the major monasteries. The surrounding villages preserve old houses and traditional farming patterns, and the area produces some of the earliest grain in Tibet.
What to see on a visit
Inside Yumbulagang the chapels hold images and old murals, and there is a small museum room with objects associated with the early kings. Monks live at the site and there is a steady trickle of Tibetan pilgrims, who come to a place that is important to them in a way that is not obvious to visitors - the link between this ridge, the origins of the monarchy and the arrival of Buddhism. Do not skip the walk around the outside of the building, which gives the best views.
Practical notes
Yumbulagang is usually visited on the same day as Samye Monastery and, if time allows, the royal tombs, all of which lie in the same valley system. There is a small entrance fee. Foreign visitors travel under the standard Tibet permit arrangements and with a guide. The site is exposed and can be very windy, and the climb is steep; bring water and go slowly, particularly on your first days at altitude.
