Sakya Monastery

Sakya Monastery, 160 kilometers west of Shigatze, is composed of the Southern and the Northern Monasteries. The Northern Monastery was built in 1097 and the Southern Monastery in 1268. The Southern Monastery houses large numbers of cultural relics including the titles, seals, crowns, garments and ornaments awarded by the Yuan Sakya Monastery’s Imperial Court to local officials. Statues of Buddha, ritual instruments, precious murals of historical themes and porcelains come from the Song, Yuan and other later dynasties. The monastery has preserved great numbers of books such as the Bakgyur, Bstanggyur, Pattra-leaf scripture, and other Tibetan classics on astronomy, geography, history, medicine and literature.

Sakya 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 comes from here. Sakye is known as the "Tibetan Dunhuang," because of its abundance of Mongolian finery, porcelain, statues, frescos, precious Tangkas and original Buddhism Scriptures.

It can be reached by taking the bus at the Shigatze Bus Station to Sakya. The bus leaves at 7:00-8:00 and takes five hours for 27 yuan.