The Panchen Lamas

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is the Seat of the Panchen Lamas, second only to the Dalai Lamas in Tibet's Buddhist hierarchy.  The monastery in Tibet is in Tibet's second largest city, Shigatse, in the central province of U-Tsang.  Once home to over 4,000 monks, the monastery was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, and nearly three-quarters of the buildings were destroyed.  There was substantial restoration by the 10th Panchen Lama and the monastery is now one of the best preserved of Tibet's monasteries.  However the political pressure is still very strong, and there is no freedom to study freely in the monastery inside Tibet.