Shigatse and Tashilumpo





After an exhilarating day at Rongbuk and Everest Base Camp, we had another long drive to get to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, staying at the Van Ray Hotel. The heaters did not work very well here, breakfast was poor but it was an easy walk to the main street and Tashilumpo Monastery the next day. The afternoon was free for our first open afternoon.






Tashilumpo, one of the six great Gelugpa institutions (along with Drepung, Sera and Ganden), was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama. It became the seat of an important lineage - that of the Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama's role is to help in the search for the next Dalai Lama.




The Kora around Tashilumpo takes about an hour and provides great views of Shigatse and the valley in which it sits. Lots of shopping and seemed to be more prosperous than I remember from 2006.






Comments

  1. AzziMarch 29, 2019 at 2:56 AM

    One of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution, Tashilhunpo remains relatively unscathed. It is a pleasure to explore the cobbled lanes twisting around its aged buildings. Covering 70,000 sq metres, the monastery is now the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet. Nice post I liked it.

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  2. HanryApril 8, 2019 at 4:11 AM

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