Yumbu Lakang

– The First Castle In Tibet

History Of Yumbu Lakang

Towering at the top of Mt. Tashi Tsering, east bank of the Yarlung River – Yumbu Lakang is the first palace and one of the earliest constructions in Tibet. The castle was built in 127 BC by the first king of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo.

The legend says the Yumbu Lakang was built by “Bön” religious believers for the first king of Tibet, Nyatri Tsenpo. The king has come down from heaven, and he was greeted by some herdsmen when they were grazing their animals. The herdsmen found Nyatri Tsenpo an extraordinarily different-looking man from them, so they ordained him as their king and carried on their shoulders and named him “Nyatri Tsenpo” means neck-throned king.

The Yumbu Lakang palace was initially built for Nyatri Tsenpo. Currently, the court Yumbu Lakang serves as a chapel. 

Yumbu Lakang Travel Information

The Yumbu Lakang is the main attraction south of the Tsedang region of Lhoka County. The palace is just 8 kilometres from Tsedang County and 6 kilometres from Tradruk temple. 

Since the palace is on a small hill, you need to walk or hire a horse to reach the castle. There is even a camel waiting below the court to ride up. (This is the only camel in central Tibet)

There is a fantastic view of the Yarlung Valley from the top of the Yumbu Lakang palace. 

On the way out to Yumbu Lakang or on the return trip, you can visit the Tradruk Temple (Falcon-Dragon Temple). The Temple’s construction is very similar to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa and dates back to the 7th century.