Tashilhunpo is the largest functioning monastery in Tibet, home to around 600 monks and sprawling across the lower slope of Drolma Ri hill on the western edge of Shigatse. Founded in 1447 and expanded over centuries, it covers some 300,000 square metres and contains dozens of chapels, colleges, and ceremonial halls arranged around a walled complex the size of a small town.
The centrepiece is the Maitreya Chapel, housing a 26-metre gilded statue of the Future Buddha — the tallest indoor statue in Tibet. The copper and gold figure, completed in 1914 under the ninth Panchen Lama, is dressed in silk robes and encrusted with jewels; the scale becomes apparent only when you notice the tiny butter lamps burning at its feet. The mausoleum halls of the Panchen Lamas, lined in gilded silver, are among the most ornate interiors in any Tibetan monastery.
The complex is large enough to explore for two to three hours. The butter tea shop inside the main courtyard is a good place to rest — monks shuffle past between prayer sessions, and the atmosphere is more active and less tourist-managed than Lhasa's monasteries. Entry is included in the standard Tibet travel permit.