Atlas of China
Tholing Monastery 托林寺Tuōlín Sì
National heritage site · Ngari, Tibet
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Days to budget
- Half a day
- City
- Ngari
- Region
- Tibet
- Type
- Culture
- Listed as
- National heritage site
About Tholing Monastery
The oldest monastery in Ngari, founded at the end of the 10th century by the Guge king Yeshe-Ö in what is now Zanda town, and a starting point of the later spread of Buddhism in Tibet. The translator Rinchen Zangpo worked here after studying in Kashmir and India, and the surviving halls, including the Gyatsa (Yeshe-Ö) temple, the White Temple and the assembly hall, keep important murals. Many of its stupas and chapels were damaged in the 20th century, and it is now a Gelug monastery.
How to get to Tholing Monastery
In Zanda (Tholing) town itself; carry your passport for road checkpoints. It lies in a border area, which also needs a border permit.
Nearby
Also within 20 km: Tsaparang (Guge Kingdom Ruins) 古格王国遗址 (10 km).
On the map
Open Tholing Monastery on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it and what else is close, and to add it to a trip.
Open Tholing Monastery on the map