Pabonka Hermitage
ཕ་བོང་ཁ། 帕邦喀
A palace built on a huge boulder on the mountainside west of Sera Monastery. It is a site Songtsen Gampo used before the Potala Palace was built, and it overlooks Lhasa.
Pabonka lies on the mountainside of Nyangre Gorge, about 2 kilometers northwest of Sera Monastery. It is built on a huge granite boulder. Legend says that in the 7th century Songtsen Gampo built a nine-story watchtower here for meditation, and that Thonmi Sambhota created the Tibetan script here. It is said that 'Pabonka came first, and the Potala later.' The present halls were rebuilt in later centuries. Around the site are a kora path, mani stone carvings and a sky burial site. From here you can look over the whole Lhasa River valley and the Potala Palace. Admission is about 10 to 20 yuan. You can reach it by taxi from Sera Monastery or walk up in about 40 minutes. Very few visitors come here.
Opening hours
About 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Sera Monastery
- Drapchi Monastery
- Lhalu Wetland
- Lukhang Park
- Potala Palace
- Ramoche Temple
- Potala Palace Square
- Tromsikhang Market