Home »Shigatse Prefecturey »Shalu Monastery
Shalu Monastery
Shalu Monastery is located 20 kilometers southeast of Shigatse. It was first built in 1087. Shalu Monastery demonstrates a combination of the Tibet and Han architectural styles. It is famous for its sandalwood slips carved with Buddhist scripture and a jar for filling sacred water. It is said that for years the water does not decrease or deteriorate. The murals in the monastery are rich in contents and excellent in workmanship and are one of the rare fine arts in Tibet.
Xalhulhakang, the main building of the Shalu Monastery, has an arch-like ceiling, glazed tiles and bells hanging on the roof, a complete imitation of the style of inland temples. Yet it still retains the characteristics of a Tibetan monastery with red mud-and-stone walls and interconnecting halls. It can be considered a perfect combination of Han and Tibetan architectural styles. The murals in the halls are rich and lively with a strong Yuan-dynasty flavor. The images of Buddha are particularly refined and special. Among the relics housed in the monastery are eight precious Yuan-dynasty proclamations of the Pagba time, besides religious implements, Buddhist scriptures on pattra, sacrificial utensils and tangka painting scrolls.
The Shalu Monastery is famous for its four treasures. The first is the printing plate of Buddhist scriptures, which is made of 108 blocks of wood by Abbot Purdain. It is said to be able to last one thousand years, yet it cannot be broken apart because it is impossible to arrange them in their original positions. Master Purdain had written many works in his life; the most well-known are Dangyur and History of Buddhism by Master Purdain in 1322. The second treasure is the holy jar made of bronze. It is claimed that inside the jar is the clearest water in the world, which is replaced every 12 years. The mouth of the jar is covered with red cloth. Legend says that the water can cure diseases and wash away dirt and filth. The third is the stone tablet with six characters. It is said that the tablet bore the six characters when it was unearthed during the construction of the monastery. Its edge is engraved with four exquisite small towers. The fourth is the huge basin-shaped stone in which the Living Buddha Jigzun Xerab Qoinnyai, who built the monastery and Pandit Gonggar Gyaincain of Sagya, had once washed their faces. It is said that the stone basin would not overflow even if filled with water on a rainy day.
Sakya Monastery reached its heyday in the second half of the 13th century, when it was showered with gifts and privileges and given control over all Tibet by Kublai Khan, the Mongolia emperor of China. A separate sect of Tibetan Buddhism, named Sakyapa, also took from here. Sakye Monastery is reputed as the Tibetan Dunhuang, for its great amount of Mongolian fineries, porcelain, statues, fresco, precious Tangkas and original Buddhism Scriptures.
