Pala Manor was originally built in Jiangga village and rebuilt in the Banjorlhanbo village in 1937 after the destruction of British invasion in 1904. As one of the 12 noble manors, under the further expansion, Pala Manor had over 100 serfs (slaves) to serve the lord and his family. Caught from the village, the serfs of the Pala Family had heavy tasks, including general farm labor and animal husbandry as well as wine production. Besides, they all engaged in knitting, sewing and the catering chores and other necessary works. In return, they got little money and food to barely make a living. Sleeping in a little dark space with nothing supplied and some of them even would go outside to stay overnight without much space.

Today, by eliminating the slavery system, the Pala Manor serves like an educational museum to reveal the Tibet’s past. At the same time, the descendants of those serfs have able to build their own modern houses around the manor, which made it difficult to find the Pala Manor.

Historical Architecture

The Pala Manor erected by modern buildings today still in good shape. With an area of over 5000 square meters, there are fifty-seven houses. The main building is a three-storey wooden structure with a courtyard in the center. Like a maze, the building is connected by wooden ladders with different layouts in each floor. The ground floor is a roughly dark area used for lower serfs squeezed up for nights. And the second floor was the working area as well as the punishment site while overseeing. Along the corridors of this building, there are kinds of tools displayed to torture serfs, including whips, manacles, fetters, blackjacks, cages, etc. Even the jails can be seen here. The third floor is the main attraction area once was the living area of the Pala Family. With beautifully decorated with exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, this floor includes scripture halls, reception halls, recreation rooms, bed rooms, etc.

On the opposite, there is another lower crudely building, which was the place for serfs to live. With a name affixed to the top of each low arch, here is the house of senior serf and his/her family. Being utterly destitute, the interior is lack of light and only a simple stove to stay warm or nothing. Without enough space, some of the members would stay outside.

Treasures & Luxuries

By visiting the display area in the third floor, you can further find out how wealth the Pala Family was. The valuable treasures from glass cups, tins of biscuits, ox horn utensil to fill Qingke wine and fine porcelain bowls for containing ghee to the ivory made mahjong set and fur clothes can be easily seen around.

If you enter the sun room, you will be genuinely amazed by the huge tiger and deer skins hung on the walls. On the corner, the gold saddle and two gramophones manufactured in Great Britain added more casual atmosphere. For other recreation rooms, there are modern gymnasium with facilities for table tennis, badminton and other physical training equipment like ice-skates, to enrich the leisure time.

Walking in the bed room, you can see what the modern life they once lived. With the exhibits of many valuable foreign fashioned jewelries from sapphires, turquoise, rubies, agates, diamonds and various other precious stones, as well as the rock crystal glasses, wristwatches and a range of cosmetics. What’s more, this luxury lifestyle stretched to diet. From whiskey to the soy sauce and vinegar all came from aboard.

Located in the Banjorlhanbo village, Gyantse County of Shigatse, Pala Manor is 4 km away southwest of Gyantse, about 10 minutes’ driving. Or you can visit it en route to Gyantse from Lhasa with more attractions in one go.

● 3.6 km away from Palcho Monastery

● 3 km away from Dzong Castle

● 3.7 km away from Gyantse Ancient City

For independent travelers, with enough time, you can walk to Pala Manor or take motor tricycle to get there for about 30 minutes.

● Taking photos here is allowed, but you need to pay if shooting some items in the display area.

● With a ticket of 30 rmb, you can have a whole day to visit from 9:00 to 18:00. If you are in hurry, 2-hour visit is enough to sightsee around.

● If you are interested about the Tibet history, you may do some research and study before visit Pala Manor.

● Wondering about how the serfs’ life now, you can visit the modern buildings around Pala Manor which now are the residence of the former serfs and their offspring. With a happy life, they have their own fields, cattle, horses and sheep.

Tibet is too vast to be visited in one single trip, but planning ahead of time can make most of your holiday. A classic Tibet tour always takes about 4 ~ 8 days. Apart from 2 days for arrival and departure, it usually needs 2 other days to explore majestic Potala Palace and other landmarks in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. With a day trip’s distance from Lhasa, Namtso Lake is another perfect tour extension if you visit Tibet from May to October.

☛ 4 Days Holy City Lhasa Private Tour - Heart of Tibet

☛ 5 Days Lhasa City and Holy Lake Namtso Tour

To explore further, it’s strongly recommended to travel from Lhasa to Mount Everest via Gyantse and Shigatse, which usually needs 4 more days. It is an unforgettable sightseeing trip with lots of attractions to visit, such as Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Kumbum Stupa of Palcho Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery, etc. Of course, the biggest draw must be gazing upon the unparalleled north face of the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest.

☛ 6 Days Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Historical Tour

☛ 8 Days Everest Base Camp Tour - Top of the World

☛ 9 Days Tibet Discovery Tour plus Everest and Namtso Expedition

For Buddhist followers and hiking lovers, you are suggested to travel to Ngari to join the kora around the holy Mt. Kailash and sacred Lake Manasarovar, which usually takes about 5 ~ 8 more days from Lhasa. The wild nature of Ngari is spectacular as well.

☛ 13 Days Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar Trekking Tour

☛ 16 Days Mt.Kailash Pilgrimage Private Tour

If you have your own needs or interest, just feel free to contact us to customize a trip of your own!