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Nepalese
Gurkha warrior who was later ousted by the Chinese who were
expanding there power over entire Tibet. When the monastery
was at its most active, there were more than 4000 monks and 4
tantric colleges with their own abbot. In 1960, the Chinese
attacked the monastery in the absence of the Pachen Lama and
gained control over it, though not much destruction was done
inside the monastery. In 1972, by the order of the 14th Dalai
Lama, the Tashilhunpo Monastery was re-established in
Karnataka, the southern state of India. From early 1980's,
entry to the general public has been allowed, although one
cannot visit all the parts of the monastery, but still
Tashilhunpo Monastery has become an important tourist
destination in Tibet.
There is too much to see and admire in this
magnificent Tashilhunpo Monastery. As you enter the monastery,
you will find a wall overlooking the monastery, which was
build by the order of the first Dalai Lama in the year 1468.
The monastery witnesses the largest number of visitors during
the Buddha Thangka display festival which is held on every 14,
15 and 16 of May according to Tibetan calendar. On this day,
the wall displays images of Lord Buddha. And when looking the
monastery, from entry you will see the mighty building with
white walls and shining golden roof. In the west side, the
Maitreya Chapel holds the biggest statue of a sitting Maitreya
Buddha, almost 86 feet in height, well decorated with gold,
diamond, pearl and every other rare stone that you can think
of. It is spellbinding to know that it is purely handcrafted
by around 900 craftsmen and took more than 9 years in its
construction. From the other higher levels of the Chapel, you
can clearly see and appreciate the Lord's monolith. The other
attraction of the monastery is the Stupa of the tenth Panchen
Lama. It lies east of the chapel and is covered with 614 kgs.
of gold and innumerable number of jewels and precious stones.
From the top floor, you will get the best view of the statue.
The another significant building in Tashilhunpo is the Kelsang
Temple. It is one of the oldest and biggest buildings in
Tashilhunpo. It is a colossal compound. It has a Main Chanting
Hall where the lamas learn the sutras and listen to the
Panchen Lama's sermon. On the back end of the hall lies a 5
meters (16 ft) high statue of Sakyamuni. It is said that a
part of Sakyamuni's relics were placed in it. There are two
chapels situated on both sides of the Main Chanting Hall. The
left one is devoted to Tara, the goddess who is believed to be
the avatar of Avalokitesvara. The chapel contains the statues
of White Tara (which is seated in the middle) and two Green
Taras on each side. The right chapel is devoted to Maitreya
Buddha. The chapel houses the statutes of Maitreya Buddha, the
Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Manjusri. The Great Courtyard
of the Kelsang Temple is used by the lamas for practice and
debate. Thousands of images of Sakyamuni in different postures
and expressions cover the wall around the courtyard.
Near to the stupa there is the Panchen Lama's palace which is
still not open to visitors. To the east of the palace, there
is a stupa of the fourth Panchen Lama. This stupa is also
completely covered with gold and silver. Apart from these
grand palaces and stupas, the paintings adorn the walls of
this monastery.
The monastery is open from 8 to 12 AM in the morning and later
reopened at 2 PM till 4 PM in the evening. There is only small
entry charge. During festivals like Tibetan New Year and
Dancing Deity festival, you can enter the monastery without
any charge. If you just want to explore the entire monastery,
it will take around 3 hrs that is how big this temple of
worship is. But if you want to completely relish this
opportunity, then you must keep at least half a day in your
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