Photo de Monastère de Tashilhunpo, Chine, Asie

Close-up of the head of Maitreya, the largest gilded statue in the world

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Acheter Monastère de Tashilhunpo, Chine, Asie (Chine)

The main sight of Shigatse, the monastery of Tashilhunpo is like a separate village lying agains the hills, with much more to see than temples and monks quarters.
The call of the chapels was too strong, and I succumbed to it. I went straight for the main chapel: the Chapel of Jampa, or Maitreya Temple. Once inside, my eyes were inevitably drawn to the ceiling where I saw, towering high above me, the enormous gilded face of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. With over 26 metres in height, this is the largest gilded statue in the world. It is not really ancient: work started in 1914 and it took a small army of 900 Tibetan and Nepalese artisans to complete in four years. Apart from the fact that it contains around 300kg of gold, the statue is remarkable for its size, but it also seems very friendly, considering its height. The walls of this high-ceiling hall are covered by one thousand gold-painted Jampas or Maitreyas on a red background. Tashilhunpo is actually the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second highest ranking lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. While the name literally means great scholar, Panchen Lamas have almost inevitably become involved in political power plays between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese, who sought to use the two leading figures in Tibetan Buddhism to drive a wedge in the local religion - a play that continues to the present day.
Lire plus: Monastère de Tashilhunpo (anglais)

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