Drongtse Monastery


On a tse (peak) said to resemble a wild yak, this Yellow Hat monastery was founded in 1442, and later adopted as a branch of Tashilhunpo. In the gönkhang (protector chapel) look for the mummified human skull (the servant of the monastery's Rinpoche, Singchen Lobsant Gantsen), and an old embroidery of Namtose. The main statute is of the sixth Rinpoche, whose tomb is on the top floor; to the left is the founder and first Rinpoche Lhajun Rinchen Gyatso.

The 15th-century monastery grounds were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and the current buildings date to 1985. The monastery is 19km northwest of Gyantse.


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