Lhasa
is famous for being one of the highest cities in the world,
a towering 3,760 meters above the banks of the Lhasa River,
what really knocks you out here is the full scale impact on
your senses of the breathtaking beauty, unique landscape and
the holy atmosphere of this religious center. In Tibetan, Lhasa
means "The land of the Gods", or "Holy Place".
It was founded in 633 A.D. under the leadership of King Songtsan
Gampo. Lhasa is capital of Tibet Autonomous Region and a famous
cultural city with a 1,300-year history.
Influenced by Indian monsoon, Lhasa has
a mild climate throughout the year. The yearly highest temperature
is 29 degrees Celsius; the lowest minus 16.5 while the yearly
average temperature is 7.4. Most of the yearly rainfall hits
in July, August and September. Bathed in sunshine for more than
3,000 hours a year, it is also a "Sunshine City".
The Tibetans, a friendly group with
distinctive customs, religion and a culture of their own, living
in an environment which presents many problems and difficulties
for their survival make this place all the more special.
Major landmarks include: Potala Palace,
Jokhong Monastery, Sera Monastery, Drepung Temple, Gaindain
Monastery, Norbulinka Palace. Lhasa's original look and old
lifestyle are largely intact at Barhkor Street in the old part
of Lhasa, where all sorts of arts and crafts are on sale.
Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center of Tibet. Everyday
pilgrims from every corner of Tibet trek a long distance to
the temple. Some of them even progress prostrate by body length
to the threshold of the temple. Pilgrims fuel myriad of flickering
butter lamps with yak butter, or honor their deities with white
scarves (Kha-btags or Hada) while murmuring sacred mantras to
show their pieties to the Buddha.
It lies at the center of the old Lhasa. Built in 647 by Songtsen
Gampo and his two foreign wives, it has a history of more than
1,300. The temple is a combination of Han, Tibetan and Nepalese
architectural techniques. Visitors will see sphinx and other
weird and sacred sculptures.
The temple keeps many invaluable cultural relics. The most
famous and valuable one is the Jowo Sakyamuni aged 12, which
is circumambulated by thousands of pilgrims day and night. On
his sides, there are altars of Songtsen Gampo and his two wives
who introduced Buddhism into Tibet. The murals in the main hall
are also worth seeing, depicting the procession of Princess
Wencheng arriving in Tibet and the building of the Jokhang Temple
while other murals tell Jataka stories. Two thangkas imaging
Yamantaka and Chakrasamvara from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
still remain in perfect condition. The gold bumpa (a vase) upon
which the reincarnations of Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama are
decided, musical instruments brought into Tibet by Wencheng
and other important stuffs are also kept here.
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery, the largest and richest
monastery ever in Tibet, was founded in 1416 by a disciple of
Tsong Khapa under the patron of a noble family and enlarged
by the Fifth Dalai Lama later. It lies 8 kilometers (5 miles)
west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse. The monastery covers a floor
space of more than 200 thousand square meters. At its peak,
it had a registration of more than 10,000 thousand monks. Many
high and learned lamas had learned here.
The main structures of the monastery include the Main Assembly
Hall (known as Tshomchen), four Tantric colleges and Ganden
Palace (Ganden Potrang). Tshomchen, covering 4,500 square meters
and supported by 183 pillars, is located at the center of the
monastery. Chief of Tshomchen used to have great power. The
Iron Bar Lama, assistant of the Chief, would take over the administrative
power of Lhasa during the Great Prayer Festival. Gilded Buddha
and Sakyamuni are enshrined and worshiped in the hall. Upstairs,
a collection of valuable scriptures is kept. Northwest of the
hall is a small hall in which a bronze Jowo Maitreya aged 8
is enshrined and worshiped. 
In
the front of the Buddha, a conch shell is worshiped also. It
was said that it was once used by Sakyamuni and was hidden at
Mt. Gambo Utse. Later Tsong Khapa discovered it and bestowed
it to his disciple to be the monastery's treasure.
Barkhor Street
The center of the old Lhasa, Barkhor
is a circular street, which is the oldest street in Lhasa and
remains very traditional. It is a place where Tibetan culture,
economy, religion and arts assemble and a place to which a visit
must be paid. It was said that in the seventh century when Songtsen
Gampo, the first Tibetan King (617 or ?-650) who unified Tibet,
married Chinese Princess Wencheng and Nepal princess Tritsun.
