Shalu Monastery
夏鲁寺
An ancient monastery in Tsang, famous for its Yuan-dynasty hall roofs of glazed tiles that fuse Chinese and Tibetan styles and for its exquisite 14th-century murals. It is the ancestral monastery of the Shalu school founded by Master Buton.
Shalu Monastery lies in Jiacuoxiong Township, Sangzhuzi District, about 25 km from downtown Shigatse. It was first built in 1087, and under the Sakya regime in the Yuan dynasty it was expanded. Its main hall combines a Chinese-style hip-and-gable roof of green glazed tiles with a Tibetan hall, a rare combination among Tibetan monasteries. The great master Buton Rinchen Drub wrote his works here, giving rise to the Shalu school. The hall preserves many murals from the 13th and 14th centuries, which blend Nepalese, Han Chinese and Tibetan artistic styles and are of very high value. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit. Tickets cost several dozen yuan. The hall is dim, and photography is prohibited in the mural areas. Transport: about 40 minutes by chartered car from the city.
Opening hours
09:00–18:00 (per temple arrangements)
Nearby sights
- Ngor Monastery
- Dechen Kelsang Phodrang (New Panchen Palace)
- Shigatse Old Town
- Tashilhunpo Monastery
- Shigatse Dzong (Samdruptse)
- Narthang Monastery
- Sakya Monastery
- Takten Damcho Ling (Phuntsok Ling)