# Tashilhunpo Monastery (扎什伦布寺)

Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region · Southwest, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tashilhunpo-monastery
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Peak season ¥100, off-season ¥55 (free during the Jumping Buddha Festival)
- **Opening hours:** 9：00—18：00
- **Time needed:** 2 hours
- **Getting there:** From the city centre, Tashilhunpo Monastery can be reached on foot. A three-wheeler costs ¥3 per person, and a taxi ¥10. Suggested route: Maitreya Hall (强巴佛殿) → Stupa Hall of the Tenth Panchen Lama (十世班禅灵塔殿) → Great Assembly Hall (大经堂) → Buddha-Display Terrace (展佛台) → Maitreya Buddha (弥勒佛) → Stupa Memorial Hall (灵塔祀殿)
- **Good for:** Temples

## About Tashilhunpo Monastery

A pitch-black passageway lets you walk around the Buddha statue. The precious beads and agates inlaid on the base are within arm's reach, and the splendour feels like a dream.
Founded in 1447 by Gendun Drupa, a disciple of Tsongkhapa and the First Dalai Lama. From the Fourth Panchen Lama onward, it became the centre of the Panchen Lamas' religious and political activities. It is the fourth-largest monastery of the Gelug school and houses the world's largest gilded bronze Buddha, 22.4 metres tall. The bronze figure is inlaid with more than 1,400 gemstones, and a huge diamond on its brow is set off by over 30 diamonds the size of broad beans.
Tashilhunpo has four colleges (扎仓) built into the slope of the mountain. Of the monastery's 64 khang-tsen (康村), many have moved away. Try walking through the dark little chambers: the wooden stair railings have been polished glossy by countless touches, and through narrow window openings you can look out at the bustling monastery grounds, as if gazing across another age.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Life-release dogs: Tashilhunpo has a great many dogs that have been released as acts of merit (放生).
- 2. Photography: Photography inside the halls is strictly restricted, and fees vary, so be prepared to pay several dozen yuan per shot. It is best to check with the Tibetan Buddhist monks before taking photos. The monastery has many rooms and a complex layout.
- 3. Free admission on festival days: Each August, the monastery holds three days of religious cham dances (跳神). Admission is free during Tibetan festivals such as the Jumping Buddha Festival (跳佛节).
- 4. Food: Prices are roughly the same as in Lhasa, and slightly cheaper.
- Tashilhunpo Monastery

---
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 559. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.