Lhatse
Encyclopedia
The new town of Lhatse (Lha rtse) or Lhatse Xian (Pinyin: Lhazê), is also known as Chusar (Quxar), is a small town of a few thousand people in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

, in the valley of the Yarlung Zangbo River (aka Brahmaputra) 151 km southwest of Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...

 and just west of the mountain pass leading to it. Lhatse is 4,050 m. (13,287 ft) above sea-level.

The modern town is 10 km south of the old village of Lhatse and the small Gelugpa monastery of Lhatse Chode. Above the monastery are the ruins of the old fort or Lhatse Dzong (Lha rtse rdong) or Drampa Lhatse (Gram pa Lha rtse) which are on a rock 150 m (492 ft) high at the opening of the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon
Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon
The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon or simply the Tsangpo Canyon or Tsangpo Gorge, along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, China, is regarded by some as the deepest canyon in the world, and is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon, making it one of the world's largest...

.

At the western end of the town is another small monastery, the Changmoche Monastery. 10 km east of Lhatse are the Xiqian Hot Springs widely renowned for their healing properties.

Further east are the ruins of the Drampa Gyang (Gram pa rgyangs) Lhakhang, one of King Songsten Gampo's main geomantic temples built in the 7th century. It was thought to pin down the troublesome left hip of the demoness whose body lay under all the high plateau with her heart located under the Jokhang temple in Lhasa. It once housed a famous image of Vairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...

 Buddha.

Near this spot in the 14th century the famous terton
Tertön
A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or "terma". Many tertöns are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed...

 or treasure finder, Sangpo Drakpa, discovered the popular Nyingma
Nyingma
The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...

 text by Guru Rinpoche called the Leu Dunma, which is a collection of prayers and devotions. To the north are the massive ruins of the Gyang Bumoche or Gyang Bumpoche, once 20 m (66 ft) high, which was built in the style of the Gyantse Kumbum by Sakyapa Sonam Tashi (1352-1417) and the famous polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...

 and bridge builder, Thangtong Gyalpo or Tangton Gyelpo (1385-1464), and decorated in the Lato style of painting. This Jonang
Jonang
The Jonang is one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Its origins in Tibet can be traced to early 12th century master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, but became much wider known with the help of Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen, a monk originally trained in the Sakya school...

 kumbum was also called Tongdrol Chempo ('The Great Chorten that Gives Liberation by Setting Eyes upon It').

East of the ruins of the kumbum is the reconstructed Phuntsoling Monastery which was once attached to it. The main monastery and kumbum were restored and expanded by the renowned historian Taranatha
Taranatha
Tāranātha was a Lama of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent....

 (1575-1634) of the Jonangpa sect of the Kagyupa. Under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617 – 1682), the Jonang school was suppressed and it was converted to the Gelugpa school after Taranatha's death.

Further east is a beautiful little valley where there was previously a Nyingma gompa and hermitages, above which is the large Guru Rinpoche cave of Gyang Lompo Lung which contains a shrine. The whole valley was, however, deserted in 1985.

Because the roads to Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...

 and to Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...

 divide just west of Lhatse, the town is a popular lunch stop for tour groups heading to those locations. Buddhist festivals are sometimes held at the monastery, drawing inhabitants from the surrounding region. There are several hotels and restaurants in the town.
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