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The Changzhu Monastery (Pearl Monastery) is located in the south of Naidong County of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The Changzhu Monastery is one of the famous monasteries in Tibet. It is said that the monastery was constructed by the order of Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Princess Wencheng once lived there when she first entered Tibet.
The Changzhu Monastery has experienced many damages and fallen into disrepair for quite a few years. Now only the Great Hall survives. The construction of the Great Hall took place in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The 5th Dalai Lama added a golden roof to it, and the 13th Dalai Lama had the Great Hall rebuilt and enlarged. The layout of the Great Hall is similar to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. The hall is the product combining Nepal and Indian architectural arts. There used to be many Tibetan frescos on the inside walls. The statues of Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng and other figures once stood in the right front, but they have not survived. The Changzhu Monastery still keeps an enormous bell built under the supervision of Han monk Ren Qing in the 8th century. On the bell there are twelve sentences of Tibetan epigraphs.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
