Shalu Monastery () is small monastery south of

Shigatse Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê (; Nepali: ''सिगात्से''), is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its area of jurisdiction, with an area of , corresponds to the histor ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. Founded in 1040 by

Chetsun Sherab Jungnay Chetsun Sherab Jungnay () was an eleventh-century Tibetan Abbot and scholar who founded the Shalu Monastery 22 km south of Shigatse in Tibet. He reportedly found the site to build the temple in 1040 following advice from his tutor to fire an ar ...

, for centuries it was renowned as a centre of scholarly learning and psychic training and its

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

paintings were considered to be the most ancient and beautiful in Tibet. Shalu was the first of the major monasteries to be built by noble families of the

Tsangpa Tsangpa (; ) was a dynasty that dominated large parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642. It was the last Tibetan royal dynasty to rule in their own name. The regime was founded by Karma Tseten, a low-born retainer of the prince of the Rinpungpa Dynasty ...

during Tibet's great revival of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, and was an important center of the

Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

tradition. Young Monk in Shalu Monastery Shigatse Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006

Repair and reconstruction

Repair and reconstruction of Shalu Monastery began on May 13, 2009, according to the Chinese government

Xinhua Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

online news. "The project, one of Tibet's biggest heritage renovation projects under the 11th Five Year Plan (2006–2010), involves reinforcement of its buildings, maintenance of sewage treatment facilities and improvement of fire and flood control systems", a prefectural government official said. It is planned to spend more than 16 million

RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...

yuan on the project.

* Vitali, Roberto. 1990. ''Early Temples of Central Tibet''. Serindia Publications. London. . Chapter Four: "Shalu Serkhang and the Newar Style of the Yüan Court." Pages 89–122. * von Schroeder, Ulrich. 2001. ''Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet''. Vol. One: ''India & Nepal''; Vol. Two: ''Tibet & China''. (Volume One: 655 pages with 766 illustrations; Volume Two: 675 pages with 987 illustrations). Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd. . Zhwa lu («shalu») monastery, pp. 554, 922, 925, 1085, 1088, 1129: Zhwa lu gSer khang («shalu serkhang»), 554, 842, 922, 925; Figs. XIV–14–16, XV–8. Jo khang («jokhang»), p. 922; Pls. 47C, 229A, 230C, 231B, 231D, 314A, 329E. gNyer khang byang («nyerkhang chang»); Pls. 268C–D, 301A, 313A, 324E. gTsug la g khang («tsuglakhang»); Pl. 292A. Yum chen mo lha khang («yum chenmo lhakhang»), pp. 842–843; Figs. XIII–14–16. gZhal yas lha khang byang («shalye lhakhang chang»), pp. 439, 441, 913, 922; Figs. VII–3–4, XV–2; Pls. 169A, 169B, 229B, 229C, 230A, 230B, 231A, 231E, 322B. gZhal yas lha khang lho («shalye lhakhang lho»), pp. 922, 1129; Pls. 232B–C, 233B–C, 234B, 252D–F, 315A, 315B, 315C, 315D, 315E, 318D, 318E.

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External links

*
Shalu Monastery
- The Shalu Association {{coord, 29.12783, N, 88.99262, E, region:CN-54_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Buddhist monasteries in Tibet Buddhist temples in Tibet Sakya monasteries and temples 1040 establishments in Asia Religious organizations established in the 11th century Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Tibet 11th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1040

Repair and reconstruction

Further reading

Notes

External links