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A beautiful monastery and nearby hill fort which was once captured by the British. Outside the hill fort there is a monument to a monk who refused to surrender and preferred death to servitude.

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Gyantse

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Gyantse Dzong or Gyantse Fortress is one of the best preserved dzongs in Tibet, perched high above the town on a huge spur of grey brown rock.

(Photo by Goran Hoglund, Sweden)

According to Vitali, the fortress was constructed in 1390 and guarded the southern approaches to the Tsangpo Valley and Lhasa. The town was surrounded by a wall 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long.

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Gyantse Fortress

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The monastery precinct is a complex of structures which, apart from the Tsuklakhang Monastery, also includes its Kumbum, believed to be the largest such structure in Tibet.

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Palcho Monastery

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The first Kumbum was founded in the fire sheep year 1427 by a Gyantse prince. It has nine lhakangs or levels, is 35 metres (115 ft) high surmounted by a golden dome, and contains 77 chapels which line its walls.

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The Kumbum

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