A minor site thought to date back to 1017, Tangboche Monastery is about 15km southwest of Tsetang on the way to Chongye. Atisha, the renowned Bengali scholar, stayed here in a meditation retreat. The monastery’s murals, which for most visitors with an interest in things Tibetan are the main attraction, were commissioned by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1913. They can be seen in the monastery’s main hall – one of the few monastic structures in this region that was not destroyed by Red Guards.
One thing to look out for are the unusual long side chapels lined with protector puppets dressed in monk's robes. The assembly hall is home to local protector Yongsten Gyelpo and a heart-shaped stone made of meteorite.
