Shigatse, also written Xigatse means "fertile land" and rightly so because it stands at the junction of the Yarlung Tsangpo and Nyangchu River. The city gains recognition in tourist itineraries mostly because of the Tashilunpo monastery here. Shigatse used to be the capital of Tsang but now it is the capital of the Shigatse prefecture. It is the second biggest city in Tibet and is situated at the altitude of 3,900m. The Tashilunpo Monastery here is the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of Endless Enlightenment. The monastery was built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama and inside are relics of Shakyamuni. It also has the Hall of Maitreya, and an incredible collection of Thangkas, frescoes and statues. At Shigatse there is also a lively 'free' market where one can buy local handicraft embedded with coral and turquoise and Tibetan daggers among others. Since it is the second biggest city of Tibet, it is the center for transportation and distribution of agriculture and other products. It is located 348km from Lhasa via Gyantse and Kamba la pass across Yamdrok Lake. The direct valley road from Shigatse is around 280km and takes about 3.5 hours.