Perched on the mountain top, the towering and outstanding Yumbulakhang looks like a blockhouse, counted as the first building in Tibet, with a history of over 2,000 years. Standing on the top of the tower house, you can enjoy the splendid panoramic view of the valley, and dream of the ancient legends of this palace.
'Yumbu” means female deer, named after its shape. “Lakhang” means sacred palace. Yumbulagang is also called “palace of mother and son”. Now the Yumbulagang Palace is mainly dedicated to the worship of Shakyamuni Buddha, but wall paintings vividly show the first king of Tibet, the first architecture of Tibet, as well as the first tilled land in Tibet.
Yumbulakhang Palace is mainly divided into two parts: the front part is multi-layer palace, while the back part is a square watchtower of a high blockhouse connected with the front part.
In the 7th century, Songtsan Gampo moved the capital to Lhasa and Yumbulagang gradually became a Buddhist palace. The ground floor is the palace of ancient Tibetan Kings. Now in the middle you would see a statue of Buddha with Nyatri Tsanpo's statue on the left and Songtsan Gampo's to the right.
The first floor is an elaborate hall enshrined the statues of Avalokitesvara and Sakyamuni. It's said the statue of Avalokitesvara in Yumbulagang is as ancient as that in Potala Palace.
The highest point of Yumbulakhang Palace is a watchtower. It's said that Princess Wencheng lived here for her first summer in Tibet. Standing on the top and looking around, you can enjoy the excellent panoramic view of the valley.
Location: between two mountain ranges (at the nothern side of Himalayas, to the south of Nyanchen Tanggula mountains), just by the Yalong zangbu river
Transportation: renting a tricycle is the most convenient way to Yumbulakhang Palace
Ticket: CNY 60
Opening hours: 09:00 to 18:00