Overview

Tholing Monastery / 托林寺

Located in the northwest of Zhada county town, 300m from the guesthouse opened by the Department of the Armed Forces (武装部招待所).

The Monastery was established at the beginning of the 11th century by Yeshi-O, the second King of Guge Kingdom, to develop Buddhism and strengthen the role of it in Tibet.

Tholing Monastery has played an important role in the history of Tibet. Craftsmen from India, Nepal and Ladakh worked together to construct the monastery, which then combined the styles of architectures and Buddhists statues of the three places. Many senior monks, including Atisha, the Indian senior monk, came here toto preach Buddhism.

The Monastery suffered much destruction, especially during the Chinese Culture Revolution. Fortunately, the main hall of the monastery was protected well as it was used as a barn during the period. The frescos in the hall are still vivid and spectacular today. The monastery has been renovated in the recent years. The rear hall has been renovated to what it used to be with the design similar to Samye Monastery in Lhoka Prefecture.

Getting there
Just a few minutes' walk from Zhada town to reach.

Admission fee: Y50

Sights Around

The monastery is located in the canyon of the Clay Forest in Zhada County. The red wall of the monastery stands out in sharp relief against the Clay Forest, forming a magnificent view.

In the river valley of Xiangquanhe River, there are ruins of hundreds of pagodas, which stood in a belt of hundreds of meters long. It is also very spectacular to watch the sunrise and the sunset in the river valley.