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Home > Travel China > China Attractions > Tashilunpo Monastery
Tashilunpo Monastery
China, an East Asian country is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It has a vast cultural history of more than five thousand years and an outstanding natural beauty. On the other hand, this country has remained a comparatively isolated and secluded one, and being a land of mystery, this country is not known to the western half of the world. However, China is rapidly developing and has grown in the phase of modernization, with an immense speed and is also welcoming the outer world to interact and do business with them.
Tashilhunpo lies 2 kilometers west of Shigatse city. The monastery is a very significant monastery in Tibet. It was founded in 1477 by Gendun Drubpa, the first Dalai Lama and a most exceptional disciple of Tsong Khapa. The monastery now has a building space of 300 thousand square meters.
The construction of the Main Chanting Hall took 12 years. It is the earliest building in the monastery. The Main Chanting Hall is capable of holding 2000 chanting monks, contains the Panchen Lamas' throne and three chapels. To the west is the Maitreya Chapel, which is 11 meter high Maitreya flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva Manjushri, made by Gendun Drubpa himself. To the east is the Tara Chapel, which preserves a White Tara flanked by two Green Taras.
The Maitreya Chapel was the tallest building in the monastery, 30 meters 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 biggest brass statue of Maitreya. The statue is seated on a 3.8 meters high lotus throne. A single finger is 1.2 meters long, while foot is 4.2 meter long. The statue costs about 280 kilograms of gold, 150 tons of brass and about 1400 valuable gems like huge diamonds, pearls, and ambers. A ladder leads to chapels reaching its lotus throne, waist, chest, face and crown.
The Thangka Wall sits northeast of the monastery. The huge wall, 35 meters in height, 40 meters in width, can be seen faraway. In addition the trove of thangkas, murals and other religious and artistic treasures certainly will impose a permanent impression upon visitors. This place will leave a pleasing and unforgettable memory and justify the proud cultural tradition of China.
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