once attached to it. The main monastery and kumbum were restored and expanded by the renowned historian Taranatha (1575-1634) of the Jonangpa sect of the Kagyupa. Under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617 – 1682), the Jonang school was suppressed and it was converted to the Gelugpa school after Taranatha's death.
Further east is a beautiful little valley where there was previously a Nyingma gompa and hermitages, above which is the large Guru Rinpoche cave of Gyang Lompo Lung which contains a shrine. The whole valley was, however, deserted in 1985.
Because the roads to Mount Everest and to Mount Kailash divide just west of Lhatse, the town is a popular lunch stop for tour groups heading to those locations. Buddhist festivals are sometimes held at the monastery, drawing inhabitants from the surrounding region. There are several hotels and restaurants in the town
