Lhasa (Tibet)

Places of Interest - China


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introduction


Lhasa is the traditional capital of Tibet and since 1964 the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region that was formed in that year. Previously it was the capital of the region U and then of U-Tsang, also called Central Tibet. However, ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions speak about the name Rasa early in the 7th century, which means "courtyard place" or "goat spot".

 

The city is the traditional seat of the Dalai Lama with the Potala and Norbulingka palaces. Other attractions are the Jokhang temple and the Barkhor district. The city is seen in Tibetan Buddhism as the most sacred center of Tibet. Before 1980, Lhasa was forbidden territory for foreigners, which only strengthened his status as "mystical". Now the city is a mix of modern Chinese office buildings and ancient Tibetan monasteries and temples.

 

The city lies at an altitude of 3650 meters, making it one of the highest cities in the world. Tibet, the land around it, is called the "roof of the world". Lhasa literally means "place of the gods". These routes are accompanied by thousands of prayer flags, turquoise jewels, Tibetan clothing and yak butter.


highlights


Potala (palace):

The Potala Palace was the winter palace of, among others, the Dalai Lamas, until the fourteenth Dalai Lama (the present) fled to McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala in India. It is built on the mountain Marpori (the red mountain) in Lhasa and is 13 stories high.

 

It is located a few kilometers from the old core of the city. The mountain protrudes about 130 m above the surrounding valley. At the bottom of the mountain is the village of Zhöl with, among other things, the column of Zhöl on which a number of inscriptions are the oldest known examples of Tibetan writing. 

 

The palace was built in a place where in the seventh century a castle was built by Songtsen Gampo. In 1648 the so-called 'Potrang Karpo' or 'white palace' was built by the fifth Dalai Lama. This Dalai Lama gave it the name Potala to Potolaka, the name for the mythical palace of the boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara. After his death in 1694 the 'Potrang Marpo' or 'red palace' was phased out. The last change took place in 1922 when the thirteenth Dalai Lama carried out many renovations and added two storeys.

 

The palace now consists of 1000 rooms. The palace is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


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Jokhang temple:

The Jokhang, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tibet and is located in the Barkhor district in the city. It is probably the most popular tourist attraction of Lhasa and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the chapel of the temple is the most venerated object of Tibetan Buddhism; the Jowo Shakyamuni, a statue that is supposed to be a representation of Gautama Buddha.

 

Jokhang literally means House of the Jowo. The chapel was built in the time of the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo (605-650) as one of the two temples for the Chinese princess Wencheng and the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti. The temple was literally called "the wonderful appearance on the land of the goats". The temple has for centuries been an important Buddhist pilgrimage center and one of the most important destinations for pilgrims in Tibet.

 

The temple complex has expanded considerably over the past centuries and occupies an area of approximately 25,000 m². The temple has four floors and the roofs consist of gilded bronze tiles. The architecture style is a mixture of Indian, Nepali and Tang Dynasty styles. On the roof is the famous statue with two golden deer on either side of a dharma wheel.


Barkhor

The name Barkhor stands for the neighborhood in Lhasa where, among other things, it is the square with the same name and for example the "Jokhang" temple is situated. Once there were four large incense burners (sangkangs) standing that spreaded incense throughout the four main directions, with the aim of pleasing the gods and protecting the Jokhang.

 

The neighborhood has a well-known market and narrow streets and alleys. Barkhor attracts many tourists since the Chinese government opened the door in 1979 for tourism in Tibet. Barkhor was always popular as a religious central place for pilgrims in Tibet and other populations.

 

The name Barkhor is derived from the Tibetan name for pilgrims in Tibet, gnas skor ba, literally: someone who makes a tour around a holy place. In a round of one kilometer around some noble houses and the Jokhang-temple can be walked, the former seat of the Tibetan state oracle that the monastery Muru Nyingba was called. The neighborhood is traditionally a korlam, or a pilgrimage path around the Jokhang-temple in this case. 

 

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there are three pilgrim routes in Lhasa of which the first is mentioned. The middle route is the Barkhor and holds a tour around the Jokhang Temple with other monasteries and temples in the old town of Lhasa. The outer route is the Lingkhor which runs along the former city limits of Lhasa and is also open to tourism at the beginning of the 21st century. 

 

Other attractions:

  • The Tibet Museum in Lhasa, which opened in 1999, has more than 30,000 exhibits of Tibetan art and culture. Another attraction is the Norbulingka summer palace of the "Dalai Lama".

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history


At the spot where later the city Lhasa would appear, in 641 there would have been a few tents where the Chinese princess Wencheng would have married a Tibetan ruler. The country was then called Rama - land of goats. The first time that the name Lhasa is mentioned is in 822 on a pillar on the occasion of a peace treaty between Tibet and China. In classical Tibetan historiography it is reported that Songtsen Gampo had the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti as one of his wives.

 

A Buddhist temple was built on Rasa for both women. Contemporary Tibetologists assume that the first temple, the Ramoche, was only built about a hundred years later, in the period of another Chinese princess named Jincheng. Throughout the entire period of the Tibetan empire the name Lhasa is further used only in that religious sense. The empire had no capital. The political center of the empire was the residence of the king. He had a mobile court that moved several times a year. From the time of Trisong Detsen (755- 797) there must have been a form of a monastic community.


In the period after the empire, the place of the political center in a more fragmented Tibet depended on the most dominant power factor of that moment. However, Lhasa has already become an important pilgrimage site.

 

Through Tsongkhapa and his followers, in the surroundings of Lhasa, after the year 1400, three important gelug monasteries were built. The three monasteries are Ganden, Sera and Drepung. It is only from that period that the development of a village of Lhasa begins. The fifth Dalai Lama moved the seat of government to Lhasa, which became the political capital of Tibet. In 1645 the renovation of the Potala Palace began on the Marpori (red mountain).

 

In 1648 the Potrang Karpo, the white palace of the Potala, was completed. From that time, the Potala was used by the Dalai Lama as a winter palace. The Potrang Marpo (Potala's red palace) was added between 1690 and 1694. The summer palace Norbulingka and the gardens on the south-west side of the city were built in the 18th century, during the seventh Dalai Lama. 

 

Lhasa, the forbidden town

For a long time Lhasa was forbidden area for foreign visitors. In the first half of the 20th century, various western explorers undertook journeys to the city that were later widely reported in the press. Lhasa was the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and nearly half of the population was monk. The number of inhabitants of Lhasa amounted to approximately 25,000 in 1951, excluding some 15,000 monks in the monasteries in the area. After the invasion of Tibet many people fled the city, including the fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso who had fled from his home in the Potala Palace and arrived in exile in India in 1959.

 

Barkhor was during the uprisings in Tibet between 1987 and 1993 the scene of demonstrations of Tibetan monks and nuns calling for freedom for Tibet. During the uprising of 2008, monks were beaten by the riot police on 11 March, after which riots broke out and the buildings in Barkhor were set on fire. Most old streets have been demolished between 1993 and 2004 and have given way to wider streets and new buildings. According to the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet, this was done in order to have better control of protests, in which demonstrators could initially escape from police fire through the narrow streets.


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tips & advice (2004)


Lhasa Gonggar airport is located approximately 45 km south-west of Lhasa, with mainly domestic destinations and a connection to Nepal. Since 1 July 2006, Lhasa is the final station of the Beijing-Lhasa railway which is now the highest railway in the world. In the city are the stations Station Lhasa and Station Lhasa-West.

 

The bus station is located on the Jinzhu Xiou road, about 4 km west of the center. Minibuses run around as public transportation.


At restaurant Shangri-La you can also enjoy a delicious and attractive show with traditional dance and singing in addition to delicious traditional food (and drinks).


  • Name: Yak hotel

Address: 100 Beijing Donglu

Price: 150Y (triple), 30Y (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 6323496

 

Content:

The almost ancient Yak hotel can call itself a classic in Tibet and Lhasa. The dorms are very basic but the atmosphere makes up for a lot. Very centrally located this is a great option. The roof terrace gives a pretty good view of the Potala Palace and it is within walking distance of Bakhor area and the Jokhang temple.

 

  • Name: Kirey hotel

Address: 105 Beijing Donglu

Price: 120Y (double), 25Y (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 6323462

 

Content:

A bit further than the Yak hostel (from the centre) mentioned above, this is also a fairly good hostel to stay for a few days. In the "doubles" an extra mattress can be arranged for a third person. Pretty centrally located. For the rooms there is a nice balcony where you can drink a beer and see people coming by. Rooms are attractively painted in bright colors.


Jeep rental:

The best, most fun and most efficient way to get a tip of Tibet and not to exceed the fish hour is to rent a car or jeep.

 

  • Day 1: 7:00 departure Lhasa - Nam Tso lake - Tashi Dor monastery - lunch at Nam Tso Qu - Yangpachen monastery - Yangpachen dinner - Hotspring hotel; 
  • Day 2: Hotspring hotel - Yangpachen (breakfast) - Ganden monastery (lunch) - Medro Gangkar; 
  • Day 3: Medro Gangkangker - sera monastery – Lhasa.

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