Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
The town of Shigatse, formerly known as Samdruptse, has long been an important trading
and administrative centre. The Tsang kings exercised their power from the
dzong
and the
fort later became the residence of the governor of Tsang.
Tashilhunpo Monastery is one of the six great Gelugpa institutions, along with Drepung,
Sera and Ganden Monasteries in Lhasa, and Kumbum (Tǎ'ěr Sì) and Labrang in Amdo
(modern Gānsù and Qīnghǎi provinces). It was founded in 1447 by Genden Drup, a dis-
ciple of Tsongkhapa. Genden Drup was retroactively named the first Dalai Lama and he is
enshrined within Tashilhunpo. Despite this important association, Tashilhunpo Monastery
was initially isolated from mainstream Gelugpa affairs, which were centred in the Lhasa
region.
The monastery's standing rocketed when the fifth Dalai Lama declared his teacher -
then the abbot of Tashilhunpo - to be a manifestation of Öpagme (Amitabha). Thus Tashil-
hunpo became the seat of an important lineage: the Panchen ('great scholar') Lamas. Un-
fortunately, with the establishment of this lineage of spiritual and temporal leaders -
second only to the Dalai Lamas - rivalry was introduced to the Gelugpa order.
Sights
