Shigatse
Shigatse, also Xigatse, means "fertile land" and stands
at the junction of the Yarlong Tsangpo and Nyangchu
River. It used to be the capital of Tsang and now is the
capital of Shigatse prefecture. The 600 year old city is
the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, who is one of
the two prestigious spiritual leaders in Tibet and the
abbot of the Tashilhunpo Monastery. About 300 km from
Lhasa, it is an important stop between Lhasa and west
Tibet where pilgrims and tourists often wander. Shigatse
has a population of over 80,000, of which 97% are
Tibetan. It is the second largest city within Tibet has
undergone large scale development. Most tourist
facilities stand along Jiefang Dong Lu, Beijing Bei Lu,
Zhufeng Lu and Shandong Lu. West of the market and below
the Dzong is the old Tibetan quarter where many people
like to visit.
Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet is situated
at the altitude of 12,600 ft. It is the famous city for
its great Tashilhunpo Monastery - the seat of the
Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of
the Buddha of Endless Enlightenment. Items of interest
inside this monastery built in 1447 by the First Dalai
Lama are: the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya,
and a incredible collection of thanks, frescoes and
statues. There is also a dynamic 'free' market where one
can buy local handicraft embedded with coral and
turquoise, Tibetan Daggers, Chinese pottery and yak
butter. Since it is the second biggest city of Tibet, it
is the center for transportation and distribution of
agriculture and other products.
Gyantse
Gyantse is a small town south west of Lhasa. It is one
of the few places where the Chinese have not changed
much. Gyantse is known because of its Fortress, the
Dzong, a very special building, the Kimbum, and a
monastery, the Pelkor Chode. The reason why people build
a town there is because of the trade in wool. The
location was good because Gyantse was on the road to
India. Nowadays it is close to the Friendship Highway.
This is a road that literally makes its name true. It is
a road that runs at a height of approximate 3500 m above
sea level. But for the rest it does not look like a
highway as we know it. It is a sandy road that now and
than turns out to be jammed because of erosion. The
Dzong Fort is build on a hill. You can visit it but than
you must walk.
A little further down the road is a wall build around a
monastery and a strange building called the Kumbum.
The monastery is called Pelkor Chode. It was founded in
1418. Formally there were a number of monasteries inside
the walls but today there is just one left. It is
visited by Gelugpa monks. The Kumbum is a building with
a strange form. Inside it is even more strage because on
the first 4 floors there are rooms that are only on 1
floor but also rooms that extend over 2 floors. Inside
you can find a large number of statues. In the gallery
of pictures attached to this page you can see a number
of the thousand statues.
Tingri
Gyantse is a small town south west of Lhasa. It is one
of the few places where the Chinese have not changed
much. Gyantse is known because of its Fortress, the
Dzong, a very special building, the Kimbum, and a
monastery, the Pelkor Chode. The reason why people build
a town there is because of the trade in wool. The
location was good because Gyantse was on the road to
India. Nowadays it is close to the Friendship Highway.
This is a road that literally makes its name true. It is
a road that runs at a height of approximate 3500 m above
sea level. But for the rest it does not look like a
highway as we know it. It is a sandy road that now and
than turns out to be jammed because of erosion. The
Dzong Fort is build on a hill. You can visit it but than
you must walk.
A little further down the road is a wall build around a
monastery and a strange building called the Kumbum.
The monastery is called Pelkor Chode. It was founded in
1418. Formally there were a number of monasteries inside
the walls but today there is just one left. It is
visited by Gelugpa monks. The Kumbum is a building with
a strange form. Inside it is even more strage because on
the first 4 floors there are rooms that are only on 1
floor but also rooms that extend over 2 floors. Inside
you can find a large number of statues. In the gallery
of pictures attached to this page you can see a number
of the thousand statues.
