Shigatse

Shigatse is a principal town of Tsang, where the Nyang River meets the Yarlung Tsangpo. A fortress crowns the ridge above the settlement, while the great monastery of Tashilhunpo occupies its own extensive precinct. Founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, later recognised as the First Dalai Lama, Tashilhunpo became an important centre of the Gelug tradition and the seat of the Panchen Lamas.

In 1435 the Rinpung family moved its administration from its ancestral fortress to Samdrubtse at Shigatse. From this base the family extended its power across Tsang and challenged the authorities of Ü. The later Tsangpa rulers also held court at Shigatse, until Güshi Khan's Mongol forces defeated them in 1642. The Fifth Dalai Lama was then enthroned at the fortress as ruler of Tibet. At Tashilhunpo, his teacher Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen became known as the Panchen Lama, establishing a religious lineage closely associated with the monastery.