TASHILHUNPO MONASTERY

Perched on the flanks of the mountain Drölma (Tara), the ensemble is visible from the Route road. Its name means "mountain of merit". In 1447, he was founded by Gendun Droupa, nephew and disciple of Tsongkhapa, who was posthumously recognized as the first Dalai Lama. The title of the Panchen Lama, which means «great scholar», was given in 1642 by the 5 ^th Dalai Lama to his tutor Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen. In turn, Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen gave the title to his three previous incarnations to be considered the 4 ^th of the lineage. The archbishops, Manifestations demonstrations, the Buddha of Infinite Light, were the abbots of the monastery of Tashilumpo. Their succession follows the reincarnation system in Tibet.

4: Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, 1569-1662 - 5: Lobsang Yeshe Pelsangpo, 1663-1737 - 6: Lobsang Palden Yeshe, 1738-1780 - 7: Lobsang Tenpa Nyima, 1781-1853 - 8: Lobsang Palden Chökyi Trakpa, 1854-1882 - 9: Lobsang Gelek Namgyal, 1883-1937 - 10: Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, 1938-1990. The designation of the 11 ^th Panchen Lama was the subject of a political war between Chinese and Tibetan. Indeed, the Chinese Government refused to recognise the child chosen by the Tibetans: the little boy has since disappeared from circulation (he is often considered the youngest political prisoner), and the Chinese have imposed a young of their choice, since subjected to a very Chinese and politically correct education…

For centuries, political rivalry is pitting the U.S. provinces and Tsang. In 1728, the Chinese were already used by the archbishops-llamas to oppose the Dalaï and to maintain discord. In 1922, the 13 ^th Dalai Lama wanted Via under the jurisdiction of Lhasa and the 9 ^th Panchen Lama fled to China where he died.

Tashilumpo was not touched by the Cultural Revolution thanks to the privileged relations that the archbishops had with Beijing. This is the perfect example of a monastery city, as there were several in Tibet. Of the 4 000 gelugpa monks it used to have, barely 600. On the top, you can see the large white wall where you will be deployed in summer for the monastery.

The Maitreya Chapel, located on the far left, contains a 27 m high statue of the Buddha of the Future, carried out in 1914 under the 9 ^th Panchen lama. In the temple of Kelsang, an imposing building on the right, don't miss the Nymphenburg room which is one of the oldest. By turning around the central pillar, you will discover another image of Tara that would have spoken to Gendun Drupa. In the centre of the great courtyard, where masked dances took place, a flagpole adorned with banners symbolized Buddhist doctrine. The shrines of the archbishops are of all beauty. Don't miss the printing machine where you are seated (and sometimes stacked) the boards used to print the texts. With some luck, you may see the monks printing.