(Palkor Choede is the central monastic building in the complex by the Kumbum at the far end of the old town of Gyantse. It is about a fifteen-minute walk from the Gyantse hotel. It is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. There is an entrance charge of 60RMB per person).
Palchoe Monastery or Palkor Chodee Monastery was founded by local king Rabten Kunsang in 1418, under the spiritual guidance of Tsongkhapa’s disciple Khedrup Je. It is the main monastery in the Nyangchu river valley in Gyantse, Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It has been remarkably well preserved and many of the statues and paintings inside date back to the time of the building of the monastery.
Although the shrines are predominantly Sakya, the monastery was traditionally unaffiliated, being used as a common assembly place for the monks from all the nearby monasteries.
At present, it is looked after by Gelugpa monks. In former days, ‘Palkor Choede’ sometimes referred to the entire complex of the monastic building in the walled section of Gyantse.
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