Rinchen Gang, also known locally as the Chode Monastery, is a smaller religious site within the old quarter of Shigatse that predates Tashilhunpo and belongs to a different tradition — the Sakya sect rather than the Gelug. The temple complex is compact and unpolished, with an assembly hall containing older-style murals and a handful of monks in residence. It receives almost no tourists and makes a refreshing contrast to the well-managed monastery up the road.
The interior has not been extensively renovated, which means the murals are less brilliantly coloured but more atmospherically aged. A row of large prayer wheels stands at the entrance. The monks are generally welcoming of visitors who remove shoes, behave respectfully, and don't photograph without permission.
Finding Rinchen Gang requires navigating the lanes of the old quarter — it is not signposted in English. Ask at your guesthouse for the local name, or look for the prayer wheels visible from the main road.