Pelkor Chode
Gyantse is notable for its magnificent Pelkor Chode, the largest Monastery in Tibet.
The Pelkor Chode was commissioned by a Gyantse prince and was an important centre of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The old district of Gyantse is scattering around the monastery.
The BBC Four documentary "A Year in Tibet" focused on the lives of ordinary Tibetans living in Gyantse.
Know More
The Pelkor Chode Monastery was founded in 1418.
The monastery compound in the far north of town of Gyantse, 30 km southwest of Shigatse, which houses both Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Kumbum Stupa, once contained 15 Monasteries. Little remains of them today. They were a particularly interesting collection, however, in that they brought together three different orders of Tibetan Buddhism in the one compound.
The Pelkor Chode Monastery was once a multidenominational complex of monasteries. Today much of the sprawling courtyard, enclosed by walls that cling to the hills backing on to the monastery, is bare and the remaining structures are attended by Geluga monks.
The entrance is flanked by statues of the Four Guardian Kings instead of the usual painting. Keep an eye out for the jewel-vomiting mongoose. Just by the entrance on the left is a particularly spooky protector chapel. The main chapel is to the rear of the assembly hall.
There is an inner route around the chapel which is lined with murals. Inside, the central image is of Skyamuni, who is flanked by the Buddha of the past and future. Jiangba, the jamrese of a Thousand Hands and a Thousand Eyes in the monastery. There is a hall of arhat made during the Ming Dynasty.
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