Pelkor Chöde Monastery, Gyantse

Main entrance, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery was founded in 1418	The main gate to Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Thangka wall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery used during festivals
Pelkor Chöde Monastery thangka wall	Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Tiger guarding the main gateway to Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Top of the Gyantse Kumbum, Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Walking around the ancient walls surrounding Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery from outside the southwestern wall	Gyantse Kumbum with the Pelkor Chöde Monastery thangka wall	Monk walking along the walls of Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Pelkor Chöde Monastery is a veritable fortress in its own right	The wall along the northern rim of Pelkor Chöde Monastery seen from the southwest	Pelkor Chöde Monastery houses 3 sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Gelugpa, Sakyapa and Kadampa	Gyantse Kumbum
Massive watchtower at the northwest corner of Pelkor Chöde's fortifications	Pelkor Chöde Monastery	The northern wall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery seen from the northwest	Pelkor Chöde Monastery north wall with autumn foliage
Thangka wall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery seen from the southeast in the late afternoon	Southeast corner of the fortifications of Pelkor Chöde Monastery	The southeast corner of Pelkor Chöde Monastery from the south	The eastern wall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Gyantse Kumbum	Returning the next morning to visit Pelkor Chöde with the guide	Gelugpa Tratsangs (colleges) Pelkor Chöde Monastery	The Assembly Hall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Gyantse Kumbum - 1427	Assemby Hall and Kumbum	Large statues of the four Heavenly Kings guarding the veranda to the Assemby Hall	Yülkhorsung, Heavenly King of the East (white)
Yülkhorsung, Heavenly King of the North (yellow)	Phakyepo, Heavenly King of the South (blue)	Phakyepo, Heavenly King of the South (blue)	Entrance to the Assemby Hall of Pelkor Chöde Monastery
The Dukhang, or Main Assemby Hall, or Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Assemby Hall (Dukhang) with 48 columns and rows of benches for the monks with heavy blankets to keep them warm	Assembly Hall, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Giant drum, Assembly Hall, Pelkor Chöde
Yak butter sculptures in front of the Future Buddha	Maitreya, the Future Buddha	Yak butter and barley flour sculptures called Tormas	Tormas - sculptures made of flour and butter
Maitreya, the Future Buddha	Maitreya, the Future Buddha, with tormas	Colossal statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, Dukhang, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Colossal Buddha foot, Dukhang (main assembly hall)
Ancient murals around the walls of the Dukhang (main assembly hall) of Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Mural faded and darkened with age, Pelkor Chöde assemby hall	Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) with two-story high statues of the Boddhisatvas	Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde
Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde	Standing bodhisattvas, Tsangkhang, Pelkor Chöde	Inner chapel (Tsangkhang)	Bodhisattvas, inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde
Sakyamuni, the Present Buddha, inner chapel	Maitreya, the Future Buddha, inner chapel	Maitreya, the Future Buddha, with a photograph of the Official 11th Panchen Lama	Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde
Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde	Tea pots in the inner chapel, Pelkor Chöde	Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde	Bodhisattvas in the Tsangkhang illuminated by butter lamps
Inner chapel (Tsangkhang) Pelkor Chöde	Maitreya, the Future Buddha, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Library of Tibetan scriptures in the Royal Chapel, Pelkor Chöde	Royal Chapel, Chögyal Lhakhang, to the right of the Assemby Hall
Sakyapa lamas, including Chana Dorje and Sakyashribhadra	Colossal 11-faced Chenresi, Royal Chapel (Chögyal Lhakhang) Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Vajrapari - Protector Deity of Energy and Power with a Sakyapa lama, Royal Chapel (Chögyal Lhakhang)	Vajrapari - Protector Deity of Energy and Power
Stupa in a room off the Royal Chapel	Library off the Royal Chapel with canonical texts with the oldest dating from the founding of the monastery in 1418	Library of sacred texts, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Side chapel, off the Royal Chapel
Intricately carved painted statues off the Royal Chapel, Pelkor Chöde	Wheel of Life by the staircase leading to the upper level	Wheel of Life by the staircase leading to the upper level	A three dimensional bronze mandela dedicated to Samvara, Lamdre Lagyu Chapel on the upper level receiving a new glass case
Upper level of the Main Assemby Hall, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Tratsang (college) of the Kadampa sect, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Gyantse Kumbum	Gyantse Kumbum, founded in 1427 by a Gyantse prince
Kumbum means "one hundred thousand holy images"	The Gyantse Kumbum is 35m tall with a gold dome	Kadampa Tratsang on the hill behind the Kumbum	Gyantse Kumbum has 77 chapels on 9 levels
Auspicious symbology on the side of the Kumbum, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Note the eyes of Buddha on the stupa	The Gyantse Kumbum is a 3-dimensional mandela	(While I'm waiting, the guide is on the phone getting chewed out by her boss after my email to Beijing about inflexibility)
The guide then asked me to fire her, but I refused	Exploring the 77 chapels on the 9 levels of the Gyantse Kumbum	Most of the statues inside the Kumbum were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and these are modern replacements	The murals on the walls, like this White Tara, survived better
Yellow Tara - wealth and prosperity - 1st level chapel, Gyantse Kumbum	Öpagme (Amitabha) the Buddha of Limitless Light	Two-Armed Mahakala - Bernakchen (Black Coat) ?	The Heavenly Kings, Gyantse Kumbum
White Tara, compassion, long life and healing	Mural, Gyantse Kumbum	Mural, 1st floor, north chapel, Gyantse Kumbum	Dipamkara, the Past Buddha, Gyantse Kumbum
Southeast Asian-styled Kinnara	Mural of a White Tara, Gyantse Kumbum	Looking north from the first level of Gyantse Kumbum	Mural of a protector deity, first level, Gyantse Kumbum
Gyantse Kumbum, 1st level	Red Tara (Kurukulla), Gyantse Kumbum	Guardian king protecting the way to the second level	White Tara, second level, Gyantse Kumbum
Red Tara, 2nd level, Gyantse Kumbum	Mural, 2nd level, Gyantse Kumbum	Mural, 2nd level, Gyantse Kumbum	Walkway around the second level of the Gyantse Kumbum, Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Drölma - Green Tara, Gyantse Kumbum	Mural - 16 arms and 8 faces	A small temple of the Gelugpa sect next to the Gyantse Kumbum	2nd level, Gyantse Kumbum
Red Tara, Gyantse Kumbum	Mural of a Green Tara, Gyantse Kumbum	2nd Level, Gyantse Kumbum	Looking up from the third level of the Gyantse Kumbum
Öpagme (Amitabha) the Buddha of Limitless Light	Walkway around the 3rd level of the Gyantse Kumbum	Rinchen Jungne (Ratnasambhava) in the western chapel of the 3rd level, Gyantse Kumbum	Rinchen Jungne (Ratnasambhava)
Donyo Drupa (Amoghasiddi) in the north chapel, 3rd level, Gyantse Kumbum	View northwest from the 3rd level, Gyantse Kumbum, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Mikyöba (Akhshobhya) in the eastern chapel of the 3rd level, Gyantse Kumbum	White Tara at Mikyöba's right hand
Green Tara at Mikyöba's left hand	Mural, Gyantse Kumbum	Painted symbols and inscription on the exterior of Gyantse Kumbum	Sakyapa Lama, Gyantse Kumbum, 4th level
Tsongkhapa and his two primary disciples, Gyantse Kumbum 4th level	Kadampa Tratsang (college) Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Mural on the 4th level of Gyantse Kumbum
Gyantse Kumbum	5th level, Gyantse Kumbum	Sakyamuni Buddha (Sakya Thukpa)	Sakyamuni Buddha (Sakya Thukpa) Gyantse Kumbum 5th Level
5th Level, Gyantse Kumbum	5th Level, Gyantse Kumbum	View from the 5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum to the Old Town and Fort	5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum
5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum	Zipak (Zeeba) - Tibetan door guardian	Zipak (Zeeba) - Tibetan door guardian	5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum
5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum	5th Level of Gyantse Kumbum	During my visit to the Kumbum, the morning clouds had cleared	Gyantse Kumbum
Gyantse Kumbum	Sakyapa Assembly Hall with the Kumbum, Pelkor Chöde Monastery	Sakyapa Assemmbly Hall, Pelkor Chöde Monstery, Gyantse	Mani Lhakhang - chapel with a large prayer wheel - Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Southeast corner of Pelkor Chöde's walls	Pelkor Chöde Monastery from the ridge above Old Town	Gyantse Kumbum	Pelkor Chöde Monastery, Gyantse
Pelkor Chöde Monastery, Gyantse	Pelkor Chöde Monastery, Gyantse	Gyantse Kumbum	Eastern wall, Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Gyantse Kumbum with the walls of Pelkor Chöde Monastery