Pelkor Chöde Monastery is the main monastic complex in Gyantse, a sprawling walled compound dating from 1427 that contains a functioning monastery, dozens of chapels, and the extraordinary Kumbum stupa. The complex is one of the best-preserved pre-20th-century religious sites in Tibet and one of the most artistically significant in Central Asia.
The monastery's main temple contains a large gilded Buddha and numerous smaller chapels, many with fine examples of 15th-century Tibetan painting in a style that blends Nepalese and Chinese artistic influence. The murals are extraordinary and largely intact — unusually so for a country where so much was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
Entry to both the monastery and the Kumbum is included in the same ticket. Allow at least two hours; a full exploration of the Kumbum alone can take longer.