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Home > Travel China > China Attractions > Shalu Monastery
Shalu Monastery
China, an East Asian country is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. It has a vast cultural history of more than five thousand years and an outstanding natural beauty. On the other hand, this country has remained a comparatively isolated and secluded one, and being a land of mystery, this country is not known to the western half of the world. However, China is rapidly developing and has grown in the phase of modernization.
Lying 20 kilometers south of Shigatse, the monastery was founded in 1040 by Chetsun Sherab Jungnay. Shalu, meaning New Bud in Tibetan, was named after a story. His teacher suggested him to built a monastery where his arrow hit. The flying arrow finally hit a new bud. In 1320, Buton Rinpoche, one of the greatest religious scholars was invited to be abbot of the monastery. Buton's religious knowledge covered a wide range that he brought together the one hundred and eight volumes of the fundamental texts of Buddhism, Kanjur, and the two hundred volumes of treaties and commentaries.
It attracted over 3,000 monks to attend his teachings. Shulupa, or Butonpa took form under his leadership. However since he had no interest in politics, his sect was not very influential. The most magic feats of Shalupa were monks learned to raise their body temperature to such a level that they wore the simplest clothing to resist coldness and to run at superhuman leaps to cover a long range without rest. In 1329, the monastery was demolished in an earthquake and in 1333 Buton rebuilt it under the patron, the Chinese Mongolian emperor.
Shalu Lakhang is the center of the monastery. On the ground floor, in the Tshomchen, Sakyamuni and his disciples are also enshrined. The chapels are flanked by the houses of Tanjur and Kanjur respectively. Chapels on the roof floor are typical Chinese blue tiled structures, housing Sakyamuni, Buton, and Arhats. Massive delicate and old murals cover the walls of the monastery, mostly depicting stories from the life of the Buddha. Restoration and preservation are badly needed to protect those arts.
Shalu has four treasures, which are a sutra board, which is 700 years old and cannot be reassembled once broken apart. Shalu Monastery adds to the beauty of China and this fact has consolidated along with abroad tourists visiting the place, making it the most favorite holiday destination for most of the vacation lovers.
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