Famous Landmarks in Shigatse are considered the Name Card of Shigatse, like the
Mount Everest,
Sakya Monastery and
Tashilhunpo Monastery , etc.. They somehow, represent a certain character or role Beijing played to the world. Come with TopChinaTravel, to witness and appreciate those famous Beijing Landmarks.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest, or Mount Qomolangma, is the highest mountain on earth, meaning "Goddess" in Tibetan language, with an altitude of 8, 848.13 metres. Mt. Everest stands at the south of Tingri County at the border of the central Himalayas between China and Nepal, capped with eternal snow. Its snow peak reflects silver radiance from the sun year after year with its waist hidden in the clouds.
The best time to visit Mount Everest is from April to June, which is a golden period for mountaineers, as it is not rain or snow to much. Each year, a great number of brave mountaineers come from all over the world to explore the highest mountain on the earth, to accomplish their life-long dream.
Sakya Monastery
Sakya Monastery, Situated 160 km west of Shigatse, is the principal monastery of the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The medieval Mongolian architecture of it is quite different from temples in Lhasa and Yarlung. Sakya Monastery is reputed as the "Second Dunhuang” because of its colossal collection of numerous Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals and Thangkas.
The main halls inside the monastery are the Dajing Hall, the Buddhism Hall and the hall where the Sakya archbishop lived, which were built in the style of Yuan architectures.
Tashihunpo Monastery
Tashilhunpo Monasteryis one of the six large monasteries in Tibet founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447. It is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second ranking person in the Gelugpa of Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, just next to the Dalai Lama. In the monastery, there preserve the tombs of Panchen Lamas and statue of Maitreya Buddha with a height of 22.4 meter. Tashilhunpo is still popular among the Tibetans now, and many believers come here for pilgrimage.
Standing at the entrance of Tashilhunpo Monastery, you can see the grand buildings with golden roofs and white walls. There is a nine-floor-high Tangka wall, which displays the images of Buddha on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May every year according to the Tibetan Calendar.
Pelkor Chode Monastery
Pelkor Chode Monastery, located 100 km east of Shigatse, is a monastery combining the architectural characteristics of Han, Tibetan and Nepali. As it houses three sects: Sakyapa, Kadampa and Gelugpa at the same time, it enjoys a high status in Tibet Buddhism history.
Referring to Tibetan Calendar, Saka Dawa Festival is held on April 15th every year to commemorate Sakyamuni, who is the founder of Buddhism. During the festival, there will be about 500 Lamas chanting sutras and the loyal pilgrims gathering in the monastery. It housing about a hundred thousand images of various icons, in total there are about 3,000 statues.
Zhangmu Town
Zhangmu Town borders Nepal to the south. It is only 10 km away fromSino-Nepal Friendship Bridge and another 100 km's driving will lead you to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Different from other areas in Tibet, it is not dry and cold but mild and humid, due to its subtropical climate. Zhangmu port is always crowded with tourists and business may from various counries.
The free trade market near the Friendship Bridge has formed spontaneously for more than 8 years, which is now still bustling. According to an agreement between Chinese and Nepalese governments, people living near the border may cross the border freely within 30km (18 miles) from the border. Every day, hundreds of Nepalese and Chinese merchants are doing their business at the Zhangmu Town.
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