Tashilhunpo Kora

At the heart of Shigatse, Tibet's second city, lies the great Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most senior cleric, and once home to thousands of monks. It is a wonderful array of buildings and almost Oxbridgey courtyards, although it feels somewhat Disneyfied and as if it houses more spies than monks. A huge, 85ft, gilt figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha, looms serenely out of the gloom. The lusciously decorated tombs of the Panchen Lamas contrast with the austerity of the exteriors of the buildings. A large pack of well-fed dogs (the reincarnations of inadequate monks, we were told) lounges in sunny corners, awaiting their next meal.

Brightly clad pilgrims from all over Tibet trudge round the sacred circuit outside the monastery, muttering mantras and spinning the large brass prayer wheels as they pass.The views across the monastery and town from the hillside above are on their own worth coming for. Look out for the enormous Thangka wall.

In the towns market, rosaries and jewellery vie with dubious shreds of meat. You may find a bejewelled top of a human skull or a flute made out of a human thighbone.

See our Monastery Koras page for detailed practical information.