Pelkor Chode Monastery
The monastery was founded in 1418. The monastery compound in the far north of town of Gyantse, 30 km southwest of Shigatse, which houses both Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Kumbum Stupa, once contained 15 Monasteries. Little remains of them today. They were a particularly interesting collection, however, in that they brought together three different orders of Tibetan Buddhism in the one compound.
Pelkor Chode monastery was once a multidenominational complex of monasteries. Today much of the sprawling courtyard, enclosed by walls that cling to the hills backing on to the monastery, is bare and the remaining structures are attended by Geluga monks.
The entrance is flanked by statues of the Four Guardian Kings instead of the usual painting. Keep an eye out for the jewel-vomiting mongoose. Just by the entrance on the left is a particularly spooky protector chapel. The main chapel is to the rear of the assembly hall. There is an inner route around the chapel which is lined with murals. Inside, the central image is of Skyamuni, who is flanked by the Buddha of the past and future. Jiangba, the jamrese of a Thousand Hands and a Thousand Eyes in the monastery. There is a hall of arhat made during the Ming Dynasty.
The Kumbum Stupa
The Kumbum Stupa is the world famous 9-storey 100,000-Buddha Stupa. It is a building with a strange form. Inside it is even more strage because on the first 4 floors there are rooms that are only on 1 floor but also rooms that extend over 2 floors. Inside you can find a large number of statues. In the gallery of pictures attached to this page you can see a number of the thousand statues.
It stands 32 metres highly, has 108 doors, 77 Buddhist chambers and countless shrines. Enshrine in the Kumbum Stupa are 100,000 statues of Buddha.
The Kumbum Stupa opens 8 doors, which are decorated with relief sculptures of lively flying dragons, running lions and walking elephants. It is a master-piece of the joint efforts of the Nepalese, Tibetan and Chinese.
 China tours inclusive of visiting Pelkor Chode Monastery & the Kumbum
|