Tashilhunpo Monastery
Location: Lhasa, Tibet
Transportation: Bus service
Culture/History Rating: 5/5
Scenery Rating: 4/5
Hotels: N/A
Summary: The monastery is the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking tulku lineage in the Gelukpa tradition.
Description:
| Tashilhunpo monastery was founded in 1447 by Tsong Khapa's youngest disciple, who was the main organizer of the Yellow Hat sect. The early abbots, named the First, Second and Third panchen lamas, were learned scholars who often had to flee to the province of U from their fierce Red Hat opponents in Tsang. The enlargement of Tashilhunpo took place mostly under the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth panchen lamas, after the Yellow Hat sect had been firmly established as Tibet's official religion. When the broadminded Sixth Panchen Lama died of smallpox in Peking, his brother, the treasure of Tashilhunpo, stole his entire huge fortune. He refused to distribute it to the monastery or share it with his other brothers, and he thereafter became the governor of Tsang. Another brother, who lived Nepal, led an army of Gurkha warriors to Shigatse in 1791, where they sacked and looted Tashilhunpo. The Chinese drove out the Nepalese and at the same time strengthened their influence over Tibet. |  |
 | Tashilhunpo had over 4,000 monks and was organized like Lhasa's great monasteries. It had four trantric colleges, each with its own abbot. After the death of a Panchen lama, these four abbots led the search for his infant reincarnation, and one of them always acted as the prime minister of Tsang, under the control of the dalai lama in Lhasa. Tashilhunpo was disbanded as a monastery by the Chinese army in1960, while the Tenth Panchen Lama was absent. Less physical damage was inflicted than on many other sites, and a handful of caretaker monks was allowed to remain. Today there are nearly 800 monks. The monastery is a very influential monastery in Tibet. It was founded in 1477 by Gendun Drubpa, the first Dalai Lama and a most outstanding disciple of Tsong Khapa. In 1600, the Fourth Panchen Lama started a large-scale expansion and his successors carried on. |
| The monastery now has a building space of 300 thousand square meters. In 1713, the Fifth Panchen Lama's title and status were finally ascertained by the Chinese emperor. The monastery became the seat of Panchen Lama. The construction of the Main Chanting Hall (Tshomchen) took 12 years. It is the earliest building in the monastery. Before the hall, there is a flagstoned debating courtyard, where Panchen Lamas used to make religious speeches to lamas. The courtyard has walls covered by a thousand Sakyamunis, which were enshrined in the walls. The Main Chanting Hall, capable of holding 2000 chanting monks, contains the Panchen Lamas' throne and three chapels. The Sakyamuni Chapel houses a 24-feet statue of Sakyamuni flanked by his disciples, which was dedicated to his religious teacher by Gendun Drubpa. To the west is the Maitreya Chapel, which contains a 11-meter (36 feet) high Maitreya flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva Manjushri, which were said made by Gendun Drubpa himself. To the east is the Tara Chapel, which enshrines a White Tara flanked by two Green Taras. |  |
 | The Maitreya Chapel was the tallest building in the monastery, 30 meters (98 feet) in height. The chapel lies at the west end of the monastery, founded in 1914 by the Ninth Panchen Lama. The chapel houses the world largest brass statue of Maitreya. The Maitreya, with its hands in mudras, is 26.2 meters (86 feet) high. The statue is seated on a 3.8 meters (12 feet) high lotus throne. A single finger is 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) long, while foot is 4.2 meter (about 14 feet) long. The statue costs about 280 kilograms (614 pounds) of gold, 150 tons (330,000 pounds) of brass and about 1400 precious gems like huge diamonds, pearls, ambers. A ladder leads to chapels reaching its lotus throne, waist, chest, face and crown. |
| In the Fourth Panchen Lama's Stupa Chapel, visitors may see the stupa tomb of the Fourth Panchen Lama's. Comparable with any in Tibet, the stupa was built in 1662 and finished four years later. The 11 meters (36 feet) silver and gold stupa cost 85 kilograms (187 pounds) of gold, much more silver and brass and countless precious gems. In 1982 and 1985, national fund was allocated to the monastery to renovate the chapel and the stupa. To its left is the Tenth Panchen Lama's Stupa Chapel. After the death of the tenth Panchen Lama 1989, 64 million RMB and lots of gold, silver, and gems were immediately allocated by the central government to build his stupa. In 1993, the 11 meters (36 feet) stupa was completed and the lama's body was placed inside. |  |