The Tashilhunpo Monastery
By admin on 2015-01-19

The Tashilhunpo Monastery means luck assembly In Tibetan. It was built by Gendunzhuba, the first Dalai Lama, at the east hillside of the Nima Mountain west of Xigaze City in 1447. It is the biggest temple in Xigaze region of Tibet and one of the Tibet’s four great temples. In addition, it is one of the six most famous temples of Huang Religion (Huangjiao). It is the place to contain bodies and souls of Panchen Lamas of past generations.

The grand Tashilhunpo Monastery, with an area of 150 thousand square meters, is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Around it are palace walls built along the mountains in length of more than 3000 meters decorated with golden roofs and green tiles. There are 57 scripture halls and 3600 rooms in the temple. The Cuoqin Hall, the marketplace for the temple’s all Lamas to recite scriptures and worship the Buddha, is located in the central of the Zha Temple. Stupas of Panchens of the fourth to tenth generations were put in the Soul Tower Temple. Gyinalhakang, the Han Chinese Buddhist Temple, houses many gifts to the Panchen from the Chinese emperors of past dynasties, such as ancient porcelain wares, gold and silver goblets, tea sets, bowls and plates, jade containers and refined fabrics. The earliest objects, the nine bronze Buddha statues, are said to have been brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618- 907). The side hall of the Han Chinese Buddhist Temple is the meeting room where the Qing-dynasty grand minister resident of Tibet and the Panchen used to meet. Inside the hall hangs a huge picture of a Qing-dynasty emperor in kasaya holding a Dharma wheel. Before the picture is a tablet inscribed with Long live Emperor Daoguang (reigning 1821- 1851). When the emperor issued a decree, the Panchen would kowtow to express his gratitude before the tablet after receiving it. Cultural relics preserved in the Han Buddha Hall (Hanfutang), obviously, proved the subjection relation between Tibet and the central government. In the east of the Monastery stand seven stupa halls, among which the most famous one is the Jueganxia Temple, which enshrines the body of the fourth Penchen Lama. 

Thanks to its mystery Tibetan Buddhist culture and its classical temple architechture characterized by local flavor, the Tashilhunpo Monastery attracts many Buddhists and visitors from home and abroad.