The Sakya Monastery, ("White Earth" or "Pale Earth") is a Buddhist monastery situated 25 km southeast of a bridge which is about 127 km west of Shigatse on the road to Tingri in the Tibet. Its medieval Mongolian architecture is quite different from that of temples in Lhasa.

Founder: Konchok Gyalpo (1034 – 1102).
In the 11th century the Khon family of Sakya established Sakyapa with the construction of Sakya Monastery. Later in the 13th century, the leader of the order became the mentor to the Mongolian Emperor and seized enormous power across Tibet. While many of the other Buddhist schools practice the ‘Incarnated Lama System,’ the head of the Sakyapa is a hereditary position. The present Sakyapa though is not directly descends from the Khon family.