Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo Monastery 扎什倫布寺
The monastery is the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking religious leader, after the Dalai Lama. This is also the monastery of the Yellow Hat sect 格鲁派、黄教.

View of the monastery.
Close up view of the Halls.
We have to walk through the compounds of the monastery, along the many alleys.
Little curtains on the windows.
A glimpse of the Maitreya Temple.
Religious structures along the way. Devottees walk around these structures in a specific number of times while chanting scriptures.
The Maitreya Temple.

The Maitreya Temple known as (Jambu Chyenmu) is the tallest building of the monastery. It was constructed in 1914 by the Ninth Panchen Lama to house a gigantic statue of the Maitreya Buddha 彌勒菩薩 which is 26.2 metres (86 feet) in height. A single finger of the statue is almost 4 feet in length. The statue contains 279kg (614lbs) of gold and 150,000kg (330,000lb) of copper and brass moulded on a solid wooden frame by Tibetan and Nepalese craftsmen.

Main entrance into the temple. People were queueing up to ring a bell hung in the middle of the entrance way.

Inner entrance into the temple. Note the heavy brown cloth hanging at the entrance. These are traditional hangings and are replaced every year.

One of the other halls.

View of the Halls in the Monastery.

Living quarters for the Panchan Lama and Dalai Lama.

Side view of the hall featured in the next photo...

View of the hall which holds a stupa- a tomb for the embarmed bodies of past Panchan Lamas.

Details on the roof.

Brightly painted passageway.

Lamas exiting from the chanting hall where they attend daily lessons.

Courtyard (taken from the third floor)

Note the murals painted on the walls. Second floor holds smaller chambers for prayers and other living quarters.

Wall for hanging giantic Thankas during special occasions.

Red wall of one of the buildings.