Monasteries become centers of artistic preservation

The Palcho Monastery, the main Buddhist establishment in Gyangze county in the southwest of the Tibet autonomous region, is famous for its stunning architecture and large numbers of religious murals.

An enshrined Buddha and the murals demonstrate the narratives of three different schools of Tibetan Buddhism - the Gelukpa, the Sakya and the Nyingma - which have co-existed harmoniously for hundreds of years within the monastery's walls.

The most famous architectural feature is the Kumbum, also known as "The 100,000 Buddha Pagoda", which contains about 100,000 images and murals depicting the Buddha.