Occupying the southern part of the Tibet, Shigatse region spreads over 182,000 sq km. The region, known as Tsang in the earlier times by the Tibetans, comprises just one city, that of Shigatse and 17 counties including Gyangtse County, Sakya County and Tingri County. There is also a trading port, Zhangmu Town. The city of Shigatse is the second largest city of Tibet after Lhasa and is located at the confluence of Yarlung Tsangpo River and the Nyangchu River. The significance of the Gyangtse County lies in it being the most important pass on the way from Lhasa to Shigatse. The Tingri County is the place to see the highest mountain of the world, Mt Everest.



Buddhism in Shigatse
Shigatse region, like Lhasa, is home to some of the most beautiful monasteries of Tibet. Way back in 1477, the first Dalai Lama ordered the construction of the Tashilhunpo Monastery in the city of Shigatse. With this, the city of Shigatse became the political, economic and cultural centre of the region. The abbot of the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the Panchen Lama is one of the important spiritual leaders of Tibet.


Buddhist Attractions in Shigatse

• Tashilunpo Monastery : The city of Shigatse can be divided into Old and New city. The Old City is home to the grand Tashilhunpo Monastery which was constructed in 1477 at the orders of the first Dalai Lama. The monastery that is counted amongst the six big monasteries of Gelugpa sect in Tibet stands at the foot of Drolmari (Tara's Mountain) and spreads over an area of nearly 300,000 square meters. The highlights of the monastery include the The Maitreya Chapel, The Panchen Lama's Palace and The Kelsang Temple. Since the time the fourth Panchen Lama took charge of the monastery, Tashilhunpo has been the seat of the Panchen Lama. Today, the monastery is home to 800 lamas.
  
  
• New Palace of Panchen : Standing south of the Tashilhunpo Monastery is the New Palace of Panchen Lama. The palace is known as the summer palace of the tenth Panchen Lama and is a wonderful blend of the traditional and modern architectural style. The palace, reached after passing three gates, offers beautiful interiors of Panchen Lama bedrooms, drawing rooms, sutra hall, Buddha hall and Buddhist Guardian Hall. Amongst valuable cultural relics of the palace are the spectacular frescos like the 'Phakpa Meeting Kublai Khan' which depicts Lama Chogyal Phakpa joining the court of Kublai Khan as imperial spiritual teacher. The surroundings of the palace covered with greenery provides a tranquil environment in which you can relax and refresh yourself.
  
  
• Shalu Monastery : Shalu Monastery is located 20 km south of Shigatse city and was constructed in the 11th century by Chetsun Sherab Jungnay. Shalu in Tibetan language means new bud. The name is reminiscent of the story that associates itself with the monastery. As per this story, Chetsun's teacher asked him to shoot an arrow and constrcut a monastery at the place where the arrow fell. Chetsun acceded to his teacher's suggestion and shot an arrow. It hit a new bud and thus the monastery's name became Shalu. Shalu Monastery is quiet simple and unsophisticated and represents a mix of the Tibetan and Han style. The monastery has beautiful murals inside depicting scenes from the life of Buddha but they are in bad state of preservation. There are also images of Shakyamuni and Tanjur and Kanjur texts (two extremely important sutras of Tibetan Buddhism).
  
  
• Sakya Monastery : This monastery is located in the Sakya county and is around 130 km southwest of Shigatse city. The grey soil surrounding the monastery gives it its name, Sakya means grey soil. The monastery is the centre of the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is segregated into north and south monastery by the Drum river. The northern monastery was constructed earlier and is now almost in ruins. The murals of the monastery depicting Buddhist legends as well as Tibetan history are a must see. Apart from the murals, there are also 3000 pieces of pattra sutras written in Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian and Sanskrit; artifacts such as seals, crowns, robes and Buddhist vessels and statues bestowed by emperors of the Yuan Dynasty worthseeing in the monastery.
  
  
  
• Palkhor Monastery : Palkhor Monastery is located at the foot of Dzong Hill in the Gyangtse county and is 230 km south of Lhasa and 100 km east of Shigatse city. The monastery, also known as Palcho Monastery, has the Bodhi stupa as its prime attractions. The stupa has a number of figures of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Dharma Kings, and Arhats on the walls. The main statue of the monastery is that of Sakyamuni which rises to a height of around eight metres. The monastery houses monks of three sects - Sakyapa, Kadampa and Gelugpa, each with its own Zhacang or the monks room.
  
  
• Narthang Monastery : The Nathrang Monastery, located 20 km southwest of the Shigatse city, was constructed in 1033 and is associated with the renowned Bengal monk Atisha. The monastery has a pretty decent size and houses the important Tripitakas such as Kanjur and Tanjur.
  
  
• Rongbuk Monastery : A pretty recent construction (1899) by the Nyingmapa sect, the Rongbuk Monastery is the highest monastery of the world. A number of mountaineering experst believe that this monastery is the best place to enjoy and appreciate the spectacular beauty of the Mt Everest. Within the monastery, you can see life size statues of Sakyamuni and Padmasambhava. Additionally, there are beautiful fresecoes worthseeing in this monastery. Both nuns and monks reside in this monastery.