Shigatse History

As a city with more than 600 years history, Shigatse was historically called Tsang, the former embodiment of Tibetan military power, and was an important administrative district of Tibet. Shigatse has also rivaled Lhasa as a center of political and spiritual power. The city was home to the Panchen Lama, thus it was the second most important in reincarnation lineage in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. Before that, this 600 year old city was the seat of the kings of U-Tsang, the heart of Tibetan culture. There is a rather famous attraction in the city, Tashilhunpo Monastery, which was regarded as the Panchen Lama's traditional residence and dates back to 1447, the reign of the first Dalai Lama.