Detail of a thangka painting on show. WANG KAIHAO/JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY

　　For nearly a millennium, the iconic Sakya Monastery has stood on a snowy plateau between the Himalayan Mountains andYarlung Zangbo River, welcoming devoted pilgrims of Tibetan Buddhism.

　　Rising against a vast and austere landscape, the monastery has long been a spiritual beacon in what is today Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region. The legends surrounding the monastery are now unfolding through tangible historical evidence at the Meridian Gate Galleries ofthe Palace Museumin Beijing.

　　The ongoing exhibition Beyond Time: The History, Culture, and Art of Sakya Monastery has gathered 200 cultural relics, including statues, porcelain, ancient documents, thangka (a traditional style of Buddhist painting onsilkand cotton), drawn from the monastery itself, the Palace Museum, and institutions across Xizang and other parts of China. The exhibition runs through May 10.

　　Built in 1073, the monastery was the birthplace of the Sakya school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. As a time-tested center for belief and fine art, it has also left an indelible mark as a witness to the formation and development of a unified Chinese nation.

　　In the 13th century, Sakya Pandita, a revered forefather of the school, met Godan, a grandson ofGenghis Khan, in what is now Wuwei, Gansu province. Their historic encounter laid a foundation for incorporating present-day Xizang into the governance of central dynasties.

　　Sakya Pandita's teenage nephew Phagpa also attended the meeting. Phagpa later became the leader of the Sakya school, and served as the imperial preceptor during the reign ofKublai Khan, who established the national capital in Beijing and founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).