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The highlight of any visit to Sera, is the Debating Courtyard, where monks can be seen debating in the traditional method, with the antagonist standing and aggressively questioning his seated protagonist by clapping his hands together near the opponent’s face. It is a lively and noisy discussion and an absolute cacophony of slapping hands, animated dialogue and raucous arguments interspersed with a little laughter. It is totally captivating to watch.
Drepung is scattered over a large area on a hillside, some 8 miles west of Lhasa. In the hillsides around the Drepung complex, a few nuns eke out an existence in ruins of the dormitories and caves. The spend most of their time meditating – they are pilgrims who never left. We were lucky enough to be invited inside to have a look at one of the caves, it was laid out more like a temple than a home, with very few home comforts. Water is boiled using the traditional solar heating method – at this altitude, water boils at 80C. Drepung was once the world’s largest monastery, with 10,000 resident monks, who hailed from 321 different branch monasteries and lived according to nationality in various accommodation buildings. Today there are only about 600 monks remaining, but most of the 20,000 square metre complex remains. The name Drepung means head of rice symbolising the way the white buildings...
Also called Tsug Lakhang (Central Cathedral), it is Tibet’s most sacred temple. The temple was built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo upon moving his capital to Lhasa. The building was enlarged and embellished by ensuing rulers and Dalai Lamas. Some of the chapels in the Jokhang have been destroyed and reconstructed; statuary has been defaced, replaced, restored and moved to a different location – this is an ongoing process which leaves any description out of date immediately. The Jokhang is Tibet’s most sacred shrine, and pilgrims come here from all over Tibet. Unlike most temples, the Jokhang is not identified with a particular sect. Leaders from the different sects are shown in statuary and murals. Around 100 monks live in the Jokhang, residing in the upper levels. It was used as a military kitchen during the Cultural Revolution. The highlight of any visit to the Jokhang, is...
This pilgrimage circuit is ca 800m long, a quadrangle of streets that surround the Jokhang and some other old buildings around the area. This is both the spiritual heart of the old city and the commercial district for Tibetans, with colourful markets and narrow lanes, where time appears to have stood still for centuries.
Potala Palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the sacred mountain abode of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, of whom the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation. In the Tibetan language Potala means ‘Residence of the Goddess of Mercy’. Other meanings of the name Potala include ‘Pure Land’ and ‘High Heavenly Realm’. The building sits on the slopes of Mount Marpori (Red Mountain), some 300 metres above the floor of the valley, and is also known as the Summit Palace (Tse Podrang). It ranked amongst the worlds tallest buildings until the 20th century skyscrapers were built and is still the tallest palace in the world. The structure is 117 metres high with over 1000 rooms – only a fraction of which are open to the public. Originally the Potala was not equipped with any plumbing, electricity or heating, so all items such as firewood, hot water and prayer lamps had to be carried up each...
Lhasa is situated at an altitude of 3,595 metres on the north bank of the Kyi-chu River. The name Lhasa is thought to come from the Tibetan words Lha (sacred) and Sa (earth). In Chinese the town is known as Lasa Shiqu. Lhasa has always been a sacred city to Tibetans, ever since it rose to importance in the 7th century, although some of the mystery of yesteryears has disappeared over the last few years, to reveal a dull Chinese city, full of high-rise Chinese buildings and faceless apartment blocks. Population = 200,000The approach to Lhasa from Gonggar airport takes you through what at first appears as an ugly, modern sprawling Chinese City. You pass the huge monstrosity of a golden yak sculpture, and then, suddenly, you are in Potala Square. Like magic, like something out of a film. It seemed so unreal to finally be here in person, but I didn’t feel the depth of emotion as I expected...
Samye monastery was constructed in year 775 AD by King Trisong Detsen (who was born nearby), which makes it Tibet’s oldest surviving monastery. The original buildings were damaged by civil war, fires, earthquakes and the Cultural Revolution over the years, but they have been sympathetically reconstructed and restored after each bout of destruction. There is a monastery guesthouse (it looked very basic but reasonably comfortable – we didn’t stay there) and a monastery shop. Samye’s layout is based on Buddhist cosmology, meaning that it is a three dimensional replica of the Tibetan Buddhist universe. The temple complex has been constructed according to the principles of geomancy, a concept which derives from India and was introduced to Samye by the Indian sage Padmasambhava who King Trisong Dretson consulted with in the 8th century when he built the monastery. Utse, the main temple in...
The monastery-castle of Yumbu Lakhang is reputed to be the oldest building in Tibet, dating from the 2nd century. Attached to the origin of the castle, is a legend: It is said to have been built for King Nyentry Tsenpo, who descended from heaven and was hailed a king by the people of the Yarlung Valley. A further legend tells of 400 Buddhist holy texts which are said to have fallen from heaven and landed on the roof of the building in the 5th century.Originally Yumbu Lakhang was built as a chapel, but it now serves as a chapel and a monasteric home for a few monks. The chapel is consecrated to the ancient kings of Tibet and there are images of Nyentri Tsenpo and Songtsen Gampo in the main chapel, as well as other kings and ministers. There are also some beautiful murals depicting the mystical visions of Tsongkhapa.The 11m high tower of the fortress appears to be much taller than that...
The Yarlung Valley is 72 km long and is often referred to as the Cradle of Tibetan civilisation, mainly because of its ancient temples, monasteries, castles, caves, stupas and peaks. The story goes that Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisatva of Compassion, descended to earth from the heavens in the form of a monkey. The place he arrived in was called the Land of Snows (now Tibet). While meditating in a cave (on the slopes of Gangpo Ri), he was disturbed by hearing crying outside the cave. The crying belonged to Sinmo, the white demoness, a manifestation of the goddess Tara, and over the years the pair produced six children – the very origins of the Tibetan race! This is also the area in which Nyetri Tsenpo, the first Tibetan King, is said to have descended to from heaven on a sky cord. The same sky cord was used by all the subsequent Tibetan kings to ascend back to heaven, until the cord was...
Yarlung River is some 2057 kilometers long, mainly gently flowing. It originates in Mount Yarlarshangpo in Shannan (a glacier in the northern Himalayas) and joins with Yarlungtsangpo River at Tsedang. It then becomes known as the Dikrong during its passage through India's state of Arunachal Pradesh. As the river meanders further downstream, it widens and becomes the Brahmaputra and finally ends its journey in the Bay of Bengal The river gives its name to the surrounding valley and is the lifeblood of the area in terms of drinking water, transport and irrigation. The translation of the name "Tsangpo" is "purifier". The Yarlung Tsangpo is the highest major river in the world, with an average elevation of about 4000 meters. It is the longest river in Tibet and the sixth longest in China.
House of Shambhala Lhasa
3 Reviews and 20 Opinions I love House of Shambhala since the moment I stepped in. It is exactly what I had on mind. Rustic,...
Gyantse Hotel Gyangze
2 Reviews and 24 Opinions The hotel's official rating is ***, which did mean it was pretty basic - and so it was (it would not...
Kyichu Hotel (Jiqu Fandian) Lhasa
1 Review and 60 Opinions I stayed at this hotel in February 2007. The beds were hard, but that's normal in China. They had...
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Q: Hi there! Me and my friend would like to got to Tibet Mid-August. Since we are both AUSTRIAN we are currently looking for two to...
A: Just reading the news two monks burned themselves alive in front of the Jokhang temple In Lhasa one died. Protesting against the Chinese occupation.
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