The First Building in Tibet

Yumbulagang is the original palace of the Yarlung kings of Tibet. According to Tibetan mythology, it was the first building ever constructed in Tibet, built as the palace of the legendary first Tibetan king, Nyatri Tsenpo, who is said to have reigned from 127 BCE. The palace stands on a hill at a bend along the Yarlung Tsampo River, on the eastern bank of the Yarlung Valley in southeast Lhokha, about 192 kilometres southeast of Lhasa.

The Legendary King

Nyatri Tsenpo, according to tradition, manifested by descending from the sky into a field of yaks and was made chief by the nomadic herds people. His reign marked the start of the Tibetan Royal Era.

Sacred Relics from the Sky

During the reign of the 28th king, Thothori Nyantsen, in the fifth century AD, legend holds that a golden stupa, a tsa-tsa mold, and a Mahayana sutra fell from the sky onto the roof of Yumbulagang. A voice from the sky announced that in five generations, one would come who understood its meaning.

Songtsen Gampo & the Spread of Buddhism

Five generations later, the 33rd king Songtsen Gampo (604–650 AD) made Yumbulagang his palace. He commissioned the written Tibetan language and alphabet, and introduced Mahayana Buddhism to his court. His Nepali queen Bhrikuti and Chinese queen Wencheng were already practicing Buddhists. After building the Red Palace in Lhasa and transferring his seat of power there, Yumbulagang became a shrine.

The 5th Dalai Lama & Later History

A thousand years later, the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682) rebuilt the Red Palace as the Potala Palace and converted Yumbulagang into a monastery for the Gelug school.

Destruction & Reconstruction

Yumbulagang was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), leaving only a piece of the original building's base. The palace was partially reconstructed in 1983, and further restoration work valued at $1.5 million began in November 2017 to reinforce crumbling wooden foundations and cracked walls. It reopened to the public in April 2018.

The Palace Today

Divided into front and rear precincts, the front is a three-storey building while the rear is dominated by a tall tower. Enshrined within are statues of Thiesung Sangjie Buddha, King Nyatri Tsenpo, King Songtsen Gampo, and other Tibetan Empire era kings. The largest cultivated area in Tibet, called Zorthang, lies to the northwest — farmers still sprinkle soil from Zorthang on their own fields to ensure a good harvest.