Gyantse

The ancient town of Gyantse lies about ninety kilometers or so to the west of the shores of Yamdp Yumtso. The Nyangchu River rolls swiftly through Gyantse Plain at one side of which the famous ancient monastery, the Palchor with its Chorten of Hundred Thousand Buddhas stands. Traditionally the Chorte is also known as the ‘Bakhor Chorten,” or the Chorten formed by the whirlpool of the river. The “Bakhor Chorten” over the years of its construction and expansion has collected 10,000 images of Buddha in the form of clay sculptures or paintings. An octagonal structure, the Chorten is also known as the “Eight Cornored Chorten.” This magnificent sttructure is the king of Tibet’s chortens and has been the emblem of Gyaritse since earliest times.

The foundation of the ancient town of Gyantse dates back six or seven hundred liears. In ancient time Gyantse was a quiet and fertile valley, its inhabitants engaged in stock raisinq and agriculture. It is said that when Princess Wencheng came to Tibet, the two giant men named Lhaga and Luga who pulled the cart carrying the image of Saksiamuni, settled in Gyantse.