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Why the Tashilumpo
Monastery is special
Tashilumpo Monastery is the seat of the sizeable Panchen Lama sect,
Tibetan Buddhism's second leading religious group.
 The
monastery is an interesting sprawling amalgam of
traditional Tibetan monastic style halls, chapels
and other structures connected by precipitous
steps and narrow cobblestone alleys. The interplay between
Tashilumpo's golden roofs and its white, red and
black exterior walls creates a striking
composition.
Interesting insights
about Tashilumpo Monastery
 Several
thousand monks once inhabited Tashilumpo. Today,
the number is considerably smaller.
The
air is rarified. Tashilumpo is 3800 meters (nearly
13,000 feet) above sea level.
Tashilumpo Monastery
tidbits
The Panchan Lama sect's nickname is "Yellow
Hat", a term widely used to identify that
Buddhist religious body.
Tashilumpo Monastery was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai
Lama (a close relative of the founder of the Yellow Hat sect.)
Tips for your
vacation tour or trip
Be
sure to view the immense statue of the seated
Maitreya (future) Buddha. This gilded and
bejeweled sculpture is one of the monastery's major draws.
If
possible, visit the Tashilumpo Monastery on special festival days when a colossal, colorfully painted banner
called a thangka is hung on a towering display wall behind the
monastery (you can see the thangka wall with its
draped painting of Buddha on the right side of the above photo). The
crowds who come to view the thangka create a lively ambiance.
Nearest major city
Tashilumpo Monastery is located just west of Shigaste. That city lies 280 kilometers (170 miles) west of Lhasa, the capital of
the Tibet autonomous region. See my map below for
photos and descriptions of Tibet's other five
Hillman travel wonders.
Pronunciation guide
Tashilumpo: t'ah-she-l'um-po
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