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Tibet Photo Gallery - Gyantse and Shigatse, to Shegar

I traveled to Gyantse and Shigatse in 1998 and 2005.

Tibet 05 01 Yamdrok Tso Kamba La The road from Lhasa to Gyantse (260km) took us over two mountain passes. From the Kamba La (4794m), we had a fantastic view of the beautiful Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise lake) with Nojin Kangtsang (7191m) behind, hidden in the clouds. In the foreground is the new paved road just opened in June 2005, in preparation for the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tibet 05 01 Yamdrok Tso Kamba La

Tibet 05 02 Peter Ryan on a Yak in Yamdrok Tso When we got down to lake, Peter and I threw and skipped some rocks on the Yamdrok Tso Lake (4441m), the third largest in Tibet. Pete did his best bronco busting pose atop a yak in the lake.

Tibet 05 02 Peter Ryan on a Yak in Yamdrok Tso

Tibet 05 03 Nojin Kangtsang and Glacier From Karo La After lunch at Nangartse (4500m), we stopped at the Karo La (5045m) to admire the white glacier dropping from Nojin Kangtsang (7191m). The weather quickly changed, and we had to hurry back to the Landcruiser in snow.

Tibet 05 03 Nojin Kangtsang and Glacier From Karo La

Tibet 05 04 Lake From Simi La From the Simi La (4350m), we gazed down on a beautiful dam-made lake, looking back towards Nojin Kangtsang.

Tibet 05 04 Lake From Simi La

Tibet 06 01 Gyantse Dzong Gyantse (3950m) is Tibet’s third largest city and is one of the least Chinese-influenced towns in Tibet. We arrived at the Gyantse Wutse Hotel 6 1/2 hours after leaving Lhasa.

Tibet 06 01 Gyantse Dzong

Tibet 06 02 Gyantse Kumbum and Pelkor Chode From Dzong From the top of the Gyantse Dzong, there was a great view of the old town with the Kumbum and Pelkor Chöde at the far end of town, below the hill.

Tibet 06 02 Gyantse Kumbum and Pelkor Chode From Dzong

Tibet 06 03 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Vaishravana Guardian of the North The Pelkor Chöde, built between 1418 and 1425, is an imposing severe building that houses superb works of art. Only four buildings remain: the three-storey main chanting hall, the Kumbum, a dormitory for the monks, and the thangka wall. The entrance to Pelkor Chöde has modern statues of the four guardian Kings. The orange-faced statue is Vaishravana, the guardian of the north, holding a victory banner and a jewel-spitting mongoose. He is also called Jambhala, the Bodhisattva of wealth and abundance.

Tibet 06 03 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Vaishravana Guardian of the North

Tibet 06 04 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Maitreya A huge clay statue of Maitreya sits in the Pelkor Chöde assembly hall, to the right of the inner chapel entrance.

Tibet 06 04 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Maitreya

Tibet 06 05 Gyantse Pelkor Chode 11-headed Avalokiteshvara The Pelkor Chöde Royal Chapel opens on the assembly hall’s right side wall and is dedicated to the 11-headed, 1000-armed image of Avalokiteshvara, considered the patron Bodhisattva of Tibet, the embodiment of compassion. His mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, is a fundamental part of Buddhist life in Tibet and Nepal.

Tibet 06 05 Gyantse Pelkor Chode 11-headed Avalokiteshvara

Tibet 06 06 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Another Maitreya Further on in the Pelkor Chöde there was another statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha. This one is a little bit different in that he is sitting cross-legged. You can see one of his symbols on the right, what looks like a teapot.

Tibet 06 06 Gyantse Pelkor Chode Another Maitreya

Tibet 06 07 Gyantse Kumbum Outside Commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1270, the Kumbum chorten was built in the style of a 108-sided mandala by craftsman from the Kathmandu Valley, and houses many excellent unique frescoes of Newari influence, a painting style originating in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. It rises in eight stages to over 52m and has lots of images (Kumbum means '100,000 images') and 70 chapels. It is topped in typical Nepalese Buddhist style with the all-seeing eyes, the spire, umbrella and the pinnacle. The first five floors are four-sided, while the upper floors are circular, forming a huge three-dimensional mandala.

Tibet 06 07 Gyantse Kumbum Outside

Tibet 06 08 Gyantse Kumbum Vajrasattva The Gyantse Kumbum has a wonderful painting of Vajrasattva (Tib. Dorje Sempa), the Bodhisattva of purification who represents the highest emanation of the enlightened mind. His right hand holds a vajra to the heart and his left hand holds an upturned bell topped with a vajra handle at the left hip.

Tibet 06 08 Gyantse Kumbum Vajrasattva

Tibet 06 09 Gyantse Kumbum Maitreya This brown statue in the Gyantse Kumbum is Maitreya, the future Buddha. Just as Christians await the coming of Christ, Buddhists throughout the world await the coming of Buddha Maitreya. He is prophesied to become the fifth universal teacher of this world era. His deeds will usher in a golden age on earth, and bring an end to the culture of war, violence, intolerance, and hatred that characterizes the present time in human history.

Tibet 06 09 Gyantse Kumbum Maitreya

Tibet 06 10 Gyantse Kumbum Chandamaharoshana In the Gyantse Kumbum, standing on a lotus platform against a fiery halo of flames, there are three statues of the Buddhist guardian deity Chandamaharoshana (Tib. Achala). His name may be translated as

Tibet 06 10 Gyantse Kumbum Chandamaharoshana

Tibet 07 01 Shigatse Tashilhunpo Entrance Tashilhunpo, in Shigatse, is one of the six great Gelugpa institutions and is the largest functioning monastic institution in Tibet, with 800 monks. It was founded in 1447 by Gendun Drub, who retroactively was named the First Dalai Lama. The Fifth Dalai Lama declared his teacher, then abbot of Tashilhunpo, to be a manifestation of Amitabha, founding the Panchen Lama lineage. Tashilhunpo is one of the few monasteries that weathered the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution relatively unscathed.

Tibet 07 01 Shigatse Tashilhunpo Entrance

Tibet 07 02 Shigatse Tashilhunpo 26.2m Maitreya The most impressive Tashilhunpo sight is the Maitreya Chapel, a tall red building with a gold roof at the complex’s northwestern corner, built in 1914 by the ninth Panchen Lama. It houses a 26.2m image of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, whose ears are 2.6m long and each finger 1.2m. The statue contains 279kg of gold and 150,000kg of copper and brass molded on a wooden frame.

Tibet 07 02 Shigatse Tashilhunpo 26.2m Maitreya

Tibet 07 03 Shigatse Tashilhunpo Kelsang Temple Courtyard The flag stoned great courtyard next to the Tashilhunpo’s Kelsang Temple. The courtyard walls, built in 1472, consist of rock slabs carried from a retreat west of Tashilhunpo. Carved on their surfaces are images of many Buddhas. The centre of the open yard has a special flagpole decorated with a white umbrella symbolizing spiritual victory.

Tibet 07 03 Shigatse Tashilhunpo Kelsang Temple Courtyard

Tibet 08 01 Friendship Highway Construction From Shigatse, it took five hours to drive the 157km to Lhatse, at first paved and then on a good dirt road. After leaving Lhatse, the Friendship Highway became the Friendshit highway, as we climbed 31km in 75 minutes to the highest pass on the Friendship Highway, the Gyatso La (5220m). They are trying to pave the highway all the way to the Nepalese border, so the road was worse than usual.

Tibet 08 01 Friendship Highway Construction

Tibet 08 02 Guide Jigmi and Driver Panchoul at Gyatso La Our Tibetan guide Jigmi and driver Panchoul pose in front of our Toyota Land Cruiser at the Gyatso La (5220m).

Tibet 08 02 Guide Jigmi and Driver Panchoul at Gyatso La


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