# Tholing Monastery (托林寺)

Ngari, Tibet Autonomous Region · Southwest, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tholing-monastery
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥50
- **Opening hours:** 8：00—19：00
- **Time needed:** 1 hour
- **Getting there:** Located north of Zanda County and reachable on foot.
- **Good for:** Temples

## About Tholing Monastery

Tholing Monastery sits north of Zanda County, beside the Sutlej River (象泉河). It was built in the early 11th century by Yeshe-od, a king of Guge. Thanks to the vigorous promotion of Buddhism by the Guge Kingdom, Tholing Monastery gradually became the Buddhist centre of its time, and its scale and layout were modelled on Samye Monastery in Central Tibet. Over the centuries, despite repeated natural and human-caused damage, Tholing still has halls standing in rows and stupas rising high.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. The stories of famous figures such as Yeshe-od, Atiśa and Rinchen Zangpo are set against the backdrop of Tholing Monastery.
- 2. Because it stands in a canyon of earth pillars, its red walls are set off by the eroded landscape. Tibetan pilgrims often come to spin prayer wheels and circle the monastery along the paths among the earth pillars.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 595. 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.
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