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Shigatse: Shigatse (altitude 3,900 meters) lies some 274 kilometers to the west of Lhasa and is Tibet’s second largest city. The highway runs alongside the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river passing through narrow gorges and broad river valleys. Farmers plowing their fields with yaks, sheep grazing on the vast plains, awesome sand dunes and rocky hills in the distance are the scenic rewards of this journey. The Tashilhunpo Monastery, built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, is Shigatse’s most important cultural and religious site. the main chapel here contain images of Shakyamuni (the present Buddha), white and green taras and embalmed bodies of past Panchain Lamas.

Tashilumpo Monastery: Founded in 1447 by Dendun Drup, the first Dalai Lama. Tashilumpo is the largest monastery in Ulterior Tibet, and one of the four main monasteries of the Gelugpa Sector. It covers nearly 300,000 square meters It is the seat of the Panchen Lama who is second to the Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy. The 05 the Dalai Lama declared that his teacher, then the Abbot of Tashilumpo, was a manifestation of the Buddha Amitabha and the fourth in line of incarnate Lamas who would henceforth be referred to by the title of Panchen Rinpoche, Tashilumpo has one of the world’s largest statues (26 m. high) gilded bronze statue of Maitriya, of the future Buddha.

Shakya Monastery: Lies 143km to the southwest of Shigatse. Shakya monastery, the center of the Shakya order of Tibetan Buddhism, was founded in 1073 by Knochok Gyalpo. During the rule of the Shakyapa the priest patron relationship between Tibet and China was established. Shakyapa rulers reigned over Tibet for nearly a Hundred years from 13th-14th century. Many of its priceless images, frescos, statues holy scriptures remaining today date back to the time of its founding.

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