Tashilunpo Monastery, which we consider one of the most worthwhile monasteries to visit in Tibet, is located in Shigatse and has served as the residence of successive Panchen Lamas. Known as the heart of Tsang, the monastery is also home to the world’s largest copper statue of the Future Buddha. It is also an exceptional place to witness how the Cultural Revolution waged war on religion, how local people secretly preserved their faith, and how today’s China utilizes religious belief as a tool for social stability, creating a singular and striking landscape.
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The History of Tashilunpo Monastery
Tashilunpo Monastery, located in Shigatse, has been inseparably tied to the Panchen Lama lineage since its founding. It was established in 1447 by the 1st Panchen Lama, Khedrup Je, a close disciple of Tsongkhapa and one of the key founders of the Gelug school.
Khedrup Je chose Shigatse as the monastery’s site to spread Gelug teachings in southern Tibet, a region that had long been influenced by other Buddhist schools. He named it “Tashilunpo,” which translates to “Heap of Glorious Fortune” in Tibetan.
The 4th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen, marked a pivotal chapter in Tashilunpo’s history. In the 17th century, he expanded the monastery dramatically: he added the Great Assembly Hall (Tsokchen), built the first stupa to house the relics of a Panchen Lama (his own teacher, the 3rd Panchen Lama), and established the monastery as the official seat of the Panchen Lama lineage, a status it has retained to this day. This expansion also solidified Tashilunpo’s role in Tibet’s religious and political landscape; the 4th Panchen Lama even acted as a mediator between the 5th Dalai Lama and Mongol rulers, further elevating the monastery’s influence.
Over the centuries, every subsequent Panchen Lama contributed to Tashilunpo’s growth. The 5th Panchen Lama added a scripture library with over 10,000 Buddhist texts.
Most notably, the 9th Panchen Lama commissioned the construction of the Maitreya Buddha Statue in the 19th century – a 26-meter-tall bronze statue that remains one of Tashilunpo’s most iconic relics, requiring over 110,000 kilograms of copper and 230 kilograms of gold to build.
In the 1960s, during the Cultural Revolution under Communist rule in Tibet, the remains and relics of the 5th to the 9th Panchen Lamas kept at Tashilunpo Monastery were unearthed and destroyed by the Red Guards, and their tombs were demolished. After gaining freedom during the period of reform and opening-up, the 10th Panchen Lama recovered from local devotees the relics and remains they had secretly saved during that time and built a collective mausoleum for his predecessors.
The Architectures of Tashilunpo Monastery
Tashilunpo’s architectural complex tells a story of the monastery’s spiritual and historical ties to the Panchen Lama lineage.
The Maitreya Temple, housing the 26-meter Maitreya Buddha Statue commissioned by the 9th Panchen Lama, is the monastery’s most famous structure. The statue stands on a 3-meter-tall lotus pedestal, its face gilded with gold leaf and its hands in the “mudra of giving” (varada mudra). The temple’s interior is lined with murals depicting the 10 stages of Maitreya’s enlightenment, painted under the supervision of the 9th Panchen Lama’s personal artists. To support the statue’s weight, the temple’s walls are 5 meters thick, built with a mix of stone and clay reinforced with wooden beams.
In 2021, a new prayer was added in front of the statue in line with Xi Jinping’s New Era, expressing wishes for the enduring stability of the People’s Republic of China, peace for the people, national reunification, and ethnic unity.
The Panchen Lama’s Residence (Rinpoche Dratsang) is another key structure. Rebuilt by the 10th Panchen Lama in the 1950s, it features a blend of traditional Tibetan and modern elements: the ground floor has a reception hall for religious ceremonies, while the upper floors include a private meditation chamber, a study with rare manuscripts, and a small chapel dedicated to Tsongkhapa. The residence’s roof is adorned with gilded copper tiles, a privilege reserved for buildings associated with high-ranking lamas like the Panchen Lama.
The Great Stupa of the 4th Panchen Lama was completed in 1662. The 15-meter-tall stupa is covered in gold leaf and decorated with precious stones, including turquoise and coral. Inside, it houses the 4th Panchen Lama’s relics – his robe, a strand of his hair, and a small statue he carved himself, along with scriptures handwritten by the 5th Dalai Lama as a mark of respect.
After the 10th Panchen Lama passed away, the local government and devotees spent a great sum to build a Great Stupa for him, which enshrines a pure-gold statue of the Lama. Here, one can witness the surreal fusion between contemporary China, modern civilization, and traditional Buddhism.
Religious Activities of Tashilunpo Monastery
As an important monastery, Tashilunpo holds daily religious ceremonies conducted by its monks. However, its most distinctive feature is that it has been the residence of successive Panchen Lamas, a tradition that continues to this day.
The current 11th Panchen Lama resides mainly in Beijing, but he returns to Tibet once or twice each year to bless the local faithful. Within Tashilunpo Monastery stands his throne, upon which he sits whenever he visits. From there, he blesses devotees by placing his hand upon each of them as they line up to receive his touch. According to locals, the 10th Panchen Lama is believed to have died of a sudden heart attack due to exhaustion from performing such blessings for the people during one of his visits here.
Conclusion
Tashilunpo Monastery is the living heart of the Panchen Lama lineage, it is also unique because of what it endured during the Cultural Revolution.
Walking through the monastery, one can see the traditional stupa of the 4th Panchen Lama, the collective tomb of the 5th to 9th Panchen Lamas rebuilt after being destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and the Great Stupa of the 10th Panchen Lama, which reflects how the Communist Party in the era of reform and opening-up redefined the role of religion and utilized local religious leaders under its new policies.
Today, the monastery also displays propaganda boards promoting Xi Jinping’s religious policies, with his images and slogans prominently featured both inside and outside. This creates a surreal experience for visitors, and it is for these reasons that we consider Tashilunpo Monastery the most worthwhile monastery to visit in Tibet.
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