Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hidden in a cleft in the rock a couple of kilometres south of Rechung-puk is the Bhairo-
puk. The tiny cave is home to a nun who spends her days and nights in a meditation box.
The site is named after the stone handprint of the translator Vairocana.
Gongtang Bumpa Chörten
BUDDHIST, CHÖRTEN
The large Gongtang Bumpa chörten was allegedly commissioned by Vairocana as a way to
resolve a border dispute between rival kings. It's just off the main Tsetang-Chongye road
and marks the turn-off to Bhairo-puk.
Tangboche Monastery
MONASTERY
( , Tángbùqí Sì admission ¥10)
A minor site thought to date back to 1017, Tangboche Monastery is about 15km southwest
of Tsetang on the way to Chongye. Atisha, the renowned Bengali scholar, stayed here in a
meditation retreat. The monastery's murals, which for most visitors with an interest in
things Tibetan are the main attraction, were commissioned by the 13th Dalai Lama in
1913. They can be seen in the monastery's main hall - one of the few monastic structures
in this region that was not destroyed by Red Guards.
One thing to look out for are the unusual long side chapels lined with protector puppets
dressed in monk's robes. The assembly hall is home to local protector Yongsten Gyelpo
and a heart-shaped stone made of meteorite.
