Palkhor Monastery
( 2005-10-27 )

Palkhor Monastery, also name Palcho Monastery, is very different from other monasteries. It lies about 230 kilometers south ofLhasain Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and 100 kilometers east of the Xigaze Prefecture, at the foot of Dzong Hill.

The monastery was founded in 1427 and completed 10 years later. The compound housed approximately 15 different monasteries, made up of three different sects (Gelugpa, Sakyapa, and Kahdampa) in a rare instance of tolerance amongst the Tibetan sects ofBuddhism. It is the only monastery that housed monks from different sects in harmony. As a result, its structural style, enshrined deities, and murals are very special.

Palkhor also features its Bodhi stupa (Kumbum in Tibetan, meaning hall of 10,000 Buddhist figures).

Deemed as the symbol of the monastery, the spectacular stupa (Buddhist shrine) consists of hundreds of chapels in layers, housing about a hundred thousand figures of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, Vajras (thunderbolt symbols), Dharma Kings, Arhats (enlightened Buddhists), and disciples and great experts of different orders in Tibetan Buddhist history. The stupa also contains roughly 3,000 statues of outstanding figures in Tibetan history such as Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen, so it is also called Myriad Buddha Stupa.

Covering a space of 2,200 square meters, the stupa has a total 108 gates and 77 chapels, each of which has a dominant religious figure and murals. The cylinder, 20 meters in diameter, has four chapels inside. The elegant structure is worth a visit.