The Kumbum is a nine-storey, 35-metre-high stupa containing 108 chapels arranged in a vast three-dimensional mandala. It is one of the most ambitious works of Buddhist architecture in the world, and certainly the finest in Tibet. Built between 1427 and 1439, it serves simultaneously as a stupa, a temple, and a philosophical diagram of the Buddhist cosmos.
Each of the four major floors opens onto chapels at the cardinal and intermediate points, their walls covered in murals depicting the life of the Buddha, mandalas, deities, and protective figures. The style blends Tibetan, Nepalese, and Chinese traditions in a way that is unique to the 15th-century Gyantse school. At the summit, a golden lantern caps the whole structure with views across the valley.
The Kumbum is part of the Pelkor Chöde complex and shares an entry ticket with the monastery. Wear shoes you can slip off easily — you will remove them at the door of every chapel.