Tourism Guide to Palcho Monastery
Palcho Monastery is located at foot of Zongshan in the northwest of Gyantse and on the provincial ro...
Shigatse, the second largest city of Tibet, is about 300 KM way from Lhasa, and its name in Tibetan language means “the manor with best quality soil”. The Yarlung Zangbo River and its branch river Nyang Qu converge here at the altitude of 3,836 kilometers. The duration of sunshine here is up to 3,233 hours, longer than that in Lhasa. And Shigatse is the seat of Panchen Lama of past dynasties where many renowned temples such as Tashilhunpo Monastery, Sakya Monastery, Palcho Monastery and Shalu Monastery locate here and constitute the rich religious culture of many religious sects.
Shigatse is famous with its beautiful natural scenes such as the snow mountains led by Mount Everest, beautiful primitive forest belts, the holy mountains, holy lakes and grasslands which enhance each other, Shigatse is also rich in cultural landscapes such as legendary temples and the characteristic culture and customs of gTsang; which altogether present the historical traces of social development of Tibet to tourists.
Going upstream along the Yarlung Zangbo River from Lhasa, you could see the Yamdrok Lake, one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, inlaid in the mountains; the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the symbol of Shigatse, which is spectacularly built on the mountain with rival beauty of the Potala Palace and settled by Panchen Lama of past dynasties; the Palcho Monastery of Gyantse, with many pagodas and known as the “King of Tibet Pagoda”, harmoniously decorated by frescoes which are of their own styles as a separate yet viewed coherently as a whole, and the Sakya Monastery, the cultural treasure of Tibet, both are the religious centers of Tibet where you who are keen at traveling shall visit.
