In 1073 A.D., Gongjue Jiebu of the Kun family in Tibet built a monastery on a meadow shaped like a lying elephant on the north bank of Zongqu River to teach his new esoteric theory of Buddhism. Gongjue Jiebu was convinced that the monastery built on such a site would light the mundane world. Because the monastery was built by a chalky hill, it was named Sakya, meaning chalky earth in Tibetan. However, few expected that it would later become the name of a powerful Buddhist denomination and ruling house owing to a number of political and religious factors. The Sakya Monastery built by Gongjue Jiebu (popular known as the North Temple) became inadequate for rising and evermore powerful Sakya establishment. A larger monastery which is still standing today was built on the south bank of Zongqu River by the Kun house and Pagpa, a well-known Tibetan in the Mongolian imperial court of the 13th century. This monastery, now popularly known as the South Sakya, sits against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains 165 kilometers west of Shigatse.

In 1260 A.D., Pagpa was appointed the imperial tutor and later an official in charge of Buddhist affairs in the land and ruler of whole of Tibet by Kublai Khan, the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. In 1267, Pagpa returned to Tibet to establish the Sakya Kingdom and a Tibetan government subordinate to Yuan Dynasty rule. A mural in the monastery depicts the occasion when Pagpa as the supreme ruler of the region gave the commission to Segasan Bu in 1288 for the construction of the monastery, which involved labor and material contributions from 130,000 Tibetan households. The Sakya Monastery as the power center of the Sakya Kingdom once ruled the whole Tibet for more than a century.

When the visitor approaches this massive structure, he will see a great monastery in an imposing square citadel. The outer wall is painted red, white and black, each representing the different manifestations of Buddha, a unique feature of Sakya. The Lakang Qinmu Hall, the main structure in the complex, occupies an area of 5,500 square meters with a height of over 10 meters. According to monastery records, the hall had 108 giant columns. Now there are only 40 left, with many anecdotes about them. The monastery wall is 10 meters high and over three meters thick. The northern and southern walls are 500 meters in length while the eastern and western walls 300 meters. There are a total of 40 fortresses and four pillboxes along the entire length of the wall and four gates open in different directions. The remains of a moat is still visible. The entire complex gives a feeling of solemnity laden with the weight of history.

The Sakya Monastery is also known for its collection of Tangkas and scriptures. The monastery also has a great collection of appointment letters, official seals, head decorations and costumes granted to Sakya officials by the imperial court of Yuan Dynasty, in addition to Buddhist figurines, ceremonial artifacts and porcelain ware from the Song and Yuan dynasties onward. The stupendous collection of books over religion, history, medicine, philosophy, calendar, theatre, poetry, stories and grammar and rare valuable source materials for the study of ancient Tibetan culture. The Sakya collection of Buddhist scriptures is also the largest in Tibet with a total of 40,000 volumes, of which over 10,000 are kept in the main hall. They were meticulously hand written in red and black ink with many gold and silver lettering by calligraphers called in from all Tibet by Pagpa. The scripture written on "Pattra" leaves recently discovered is regarded as a rare treasure. The murals and tangkas in the monastery are unique, of which a large mural of the five Sakya founders and an exquisite mural of mandal as are of particular interest. A total of 40 tangkas depicting the founders of Sakya painted six centuries ago is a treasure to the monastery. When the visitor stands in front of the pictures of these noted figures in Tibetan history, he is bound to feel the power of the glory of a bygone era and of an art that shines through the darkness of time. Sakya can be compared to Dunhuang in western China. In fact, it is regarded as the second Dunhuang of China.

Layout
Four buildings of the 13th-century Southern Monastery remain, protected by massive, windowless, fortress wall with corner- a typical Mongolian feature. Narthang Monastery and, after being devastated by an earthquake, Shalu were built along the same lines as Sakya. The gray and murky maroon hue of the outer wall appears drab, but theses two colors are favored throughout the region, painted in stripes on village walls, and the colors have a peculiarly powerful aesthetic impact.
Enter the monastery through the east gateway, which leads to a huge open courtyard. The first room to see is on the left, up a steep flight of stairs, after reaching the inner courtyard through an enclosed walkway. This is the Phuntsok Podrang, which has stupas that honor the relics of former Sakya Lama, and a giant image of Kunga Nyingpo as a venerable old man. He was a master scholar of Sakya's great period, equal in learning to Sakya Pandit. He organized a systematic teaching the tantras, and is always portrayed as aged with white hair.

The next chapel, on the inner courtyard's south side, is the Pukhang, or Manjushri Chapel. An enclose mandala is the centrepiece, backed by two main images, a Jowo Sakyamuni to the left and Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, to the right. It is said that Sakya Pandit created these statues. Multiple volumes that make up the Kanjur and Tenjur are here, as are thousands of small statues.

The Main Chanting Hall, or Lakhang Chenmo, is wider than it is deep, with columns made from whole tree trunks. Daylight entering from high windows illuminates a fine frieze of Buddhas, saints, guardians and Mongolian hierarchs, embellished by lion decorations, near the ceiling above the altar. Everything in the room is big and gilded brass figures placed high on the pillars and walls increase the sense of space.

The two primary human figures, side by side, are Sakya Pandit and Jungu Choje. Sakya Pandit wears a red hat. A statue of Kunga Nyingpo is raised and to the right of these two. In front of the altar are some Sakya's treasures- artifacts of silver, porcelain, ivory and shell. Jeweled stupas holding the ashes of the founders also indicate its former wealth. The resplendent Chanting Hall is among the finest, most impressive in all Tibet. Take time to look carefully and investigate the many objects- ancient, refined, outlandish, beautiful, weird.

The North Hall, or Ngudung Lakhang, contains seven large stupas and four lesser ones, the reliquaries of the Throne Holders of the Sakya sect. Restored murals show the family of five Buddhas, a giant portrait of Kunga Nyingpo and big, bold mandalas. It is rare to see a portrait mural of these dimensions in Tibet. A mandala of colored sand is kept permanently in a corner of the hall. An inner chapel houses six large white stupas containing the remains of Sakya's early abbots.
The final room to visit is the Droma Podrang, up a flight of stairs at the northeast corner of the inner courtyard. Here are excellent murals and a statue of Padmasambhava ( Guru Rinpoche). Five stupas of fine construction also stand in this worthy chapel.