Tsang - Tibet - page 283

This chapel is a centre for philosophy and houses a large statue of Tsongkhapa flanked
by Jampa and Jampelyang (Manjushri).
Tomb of the 10th Panchen Lama (Serdung Sisum Namgyel)
This dazzling gold-plated funeral chörten holds the remains of the 10th Panchen Lama,
who died in 1989. His image is displayed atop the tomb. The ceiling of the chapel is
painted with a Kalachakra (Dukhor in Tibetan) mandala, with a mural of the deity on the
left wall, and the walls are painted with gold buddhas in various mudras (hand gestures).
From here you can normally head upstairs to proceed through a line of upper chapels.
Tomb of the Fourth Panchen Lama (Kundun Lhakhang)
The gold-roofed chapel holds the tomb of the Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Choekyi
Gyeltsen (1567-1662), teacher of the fifth Dalai Lama. This was the only mausoleum at
Tashilhunpo to be spared during the Cultural Revolution. The 11m-high funerary chörten
is inlaid with semiprecious stones and contains 85kg of gold.
Kelsang Temple
The centrepiece of this remarkable collection of buildings is a large courtyard, which is
the focus of festival and monastic activities. It's a fascinating place to sit and watch the pil-
grims and monks go about their business. Monks congregate here before their lunch-time
service in the main assembly hall. A huge prayer pole rears from the centre of the flagged
courtyard and the surrounding walls are painted with buddhas.
The assembly hall is one of the oldest buildings in Tashilhunpo, dating from the 15th-
century founding of the monastery. The massive throne that dominates the centre of the
hall is the throne of the Panchen Lamas. The hall is a dark, moody place, with rows of
mounted cushions for monks, and long thangkas, depicting the various incarnations of the
Panchen Lama, suspended from the ceiling. The central inner chapel holds a wonderful
statue of Sakyamuni (Sakya Thukpa), while the chapel to the right holds several images of
Drölma (Tara).
You can also visit the huge new Tomb of the Fifth to the Ninth Panchen Lamas
(Tashi Langyar), built by the 10th Panchen Lama to replace tombs destroyed in the Cultur-
al Revolution. The central statue is of the ninth Panchen Lama. The 10th Panchen Lama
returned to Shigatse from Běijīng to dedicate the tomb in 1989. He fulfilled his prediction
that he would die on Tibetan soil just three days after the ceremony.