The Changzhu Monastery (Pearl
Monastery) is located in the south of Naidong County of the Tibet Autonomous
Region.
The Changzhu Monastery is one of the famous
monasteries in Tibet. It is said that the monastery was constructed by the order
of Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Princess Wencheng once lived
there when she first entered Tibet.
The Changzhu Monastery has experienced many
damages and fallen into disrepair for quite a few years. Now only the Great Hall
survives. The construction of the Great Hall took place in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907). The 5th Dalai Lama added a golden roof to it, and the
13th Dalai Lama had the Great Hall rebuilt and enlarged. The layout
of the Great Hall is similar to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. The hall is the
product combining Nepal and Indian architectural arts. There used to be many
Tibetan frescos on the inside walls. The statues of Songtsen Gampo, Princess
Wencheng and other figures once stood in the right front, but they have not
survived. The Changzhu Monastery still keeps an enormous bell built under the
supervision of Han monk Ren Qing in the 8th century. On the bell
there are twelve sentences of Tibetan epigraphs.