Brief information on Palkhor Monastery  

Palkhor Monastery is the best preserved of the so-called ‘slave manors’ and ranks as number 1 among the 12 manors. It is a veritable map of the differences between the life of the Tibetan noble and that of the bondman, as well as being like a miniature of ancient Tibet.

Palkgor Monastery was originally built in Jiangga village, Gyangze city, but it was burnt down when an English army invaded. After the war, Palkgor Monastery was rebuilt in Jiulunbu village, 4 kilometers away from Gyangze city. Since the Palkgor family’s power had been strengthened, the scale of the manor was expanded.

The existing houses now number 57. The main assembly hall of Palkhor is a three-storey building built between the end of 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. The ground floor is a Chanting Hall with 48 columns, each of which is decorated with thangkas. There is a gilded statue of Maitreya, which is 8 meters high and made from 1.4 tons of bronze.

On the second floor stand the Bodhisattva Manjushri and Arhats, which date from the Ming Dynasty. The Arhats Chapel is particularly famous in Tibet.

The monastery owns about 100 robes and costumes which are worn by performers of the Tibetan opera; all of them were made in the Ming and Qing Dynasties from silk and using Chinese embroidery techniques. Palkhor also houses numerous images or icons which have great ornamental and religious value.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Palkhor Monastery if you plan to visit Palkhor Monastery and have language problems.

   

Hours:  09:00-18:00
Adress: 230 kilometers south of Lhasa and 100 east of Shigatse at the foot of Dzong Hill
Transportation: As the Monastery is just located in the downtown center of Shigatse,you can walk there casually
Others:  Recommended Time for a Visit: Two hours