Tibet is the best place to experience the true Buddhism and
Culture. It has taken many years to come to today's shape.
When in Tibet one gets a feeling of being in a different part
of the world. The monasteries built centuries back, the open
grasslands, the unique and unspoiled lakes, the snow carved
mountains are always worth visiting. Its like being addicted;
the more you visit the more you want to go further and want
to know more about this beautiful land.
LHASA (11,975ft/3,650m) -
The Land of Gods
"Lhasa" in Tibetan means "the
land of gods" and is the capital of the Tibet
Autonomous Region is located between 29o 36'N and 19o 06'
E at the north bank of Kyichu river, a tributary of the
Yarlung Tsangpo River, at an altitude of 3650 meters above
he sea level. Lhasa has history of more than 1300 years
and it's been the center of politics, economy, culture and
religion in Tibet since ancient times. There are numerous
scenic spots and historical attractions, among which Potala
Palace, Norbulingka, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery,
Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, being the most famous.
Potala Palace:
The Potala, one of the most famous architectural works of
our nations, is erected on top of the Red Hill in Lhasa.
The word "Potala" comes from Sanskrit. In the
7th century, after the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo's marriage
with Princess Wencheng of the Tang Court, the Palace was
built for meditation. In the mid-17th century, it was re-built
by the 5th Dalai Lama to its present size, and ever since
it became the Winter Palace of the Dalai Lamas. The construction
took fifty years from its beginning to completion. The Potala
is divided into two sections, namely, the Red Palace and
White Palace. The total height of the Potala is 117 meters
which is built in thirteen storeys, the length of the Palace
from east to west has 400 meters and the breadth from south
to north has 350 meters. The whole building is a structure
of stone and timber. The top most flat glistens with golden
roofs. It is a majestic architectural work and the cream
Tibetan culture and complex of Tibetan and Han culture.
Jokhang
Temple:
Jokhang Temple situated in the center of the old section
of Lhasa, and was built in the mid - 7th century A. D. and
later extended by successive rulers, it has now become a
gigantic architecture complex. Located in the east, facing
to the west, it is a four storeyed Temple with splendid
golden roofs. It has architecture feature of Tang Dynasty
and also assimilated very much features from both Nepalese
and Indian Buddhist Temples. The murals in the temple mainly
depict the life stories of historic characters. The temple
houses many historical relics since Tang Dynasty and statues
of King Songtsen Gompo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Bhrikuti
Devi (Nepalese). "Princess Willow" (a tree), and
"The Uncle - Nephew Alliance Tablet" can be seen
at the front gate of the temple. Jokhang is the country'
s spiritual center, and the holiest destination for Tibetan
Buddhist pilgrims. It houses the sitting statue of Sakyamuni
when he was 12 years old.
Barkhor
Bazaar:
The oldest street of ancient Lhasa circles the Jokhang Temple.
Norbulingka:
The name means "Jeweled Garden", a fitting title
for this 200 years old park, stretching over 360,000 sq.
m. The 370 rooms summer palace of the Dalai Lama is located
inside the park in Lhasa.
Drepung
Monastery:
Situated five Km's distance to the western suburb of Lhasa
at the foot of Mt. Ganpoi Uze. Drepung Monastery, was founded
in 1416 by Jamyang Choje, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder
of Gelugpa Sect. The monastery, occupying an area of 250,000
squire meters with a fixed number of 7,700 monks, is the
largest monastery in Tibet. The monastery keeps plentiful
historical relics, Buddhist scriptures, arts and crafts.
Sera
Monastery:
Sera means "hailstone" in Tibetan. Set at the
foot of the Wudu Hill to the north of Lhasa City, Sera is
comprised of a great sutra chanting hall, a college and
32 sections. Situated at three Km's distance to the northern
suburb of Lhasa. Jamchen Choje, a disiple of Tsongkapa,
founded sera Monastery in 1419, a disciple of Tsongkapa,
the founder of Gelugpa Sect. The monastery is erected grandly
at a mountain slope with a colourful architecture. Sera
Monastery together with Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery
in Lhasa are known as the Three Great Monasteries of Tibet.
Ganden
Monastery:
Located in Taktse Country, founded in 1409 by Tsongkapa,
the founder of the Gelugpa Sect, it is the earliest of the
Three Great Monasteries of Tibet.
GYANTSE
(12,959ft/3,950m):
A small agricultural town famous for its wool carpets and
the Phalkor Choide Chorten. Between the monastery and the
fort, this unique structure built in 1414 consists of five
stories representing the five steps to enlightenment, topped
by thirteen rings which symbolize the stages of advancement
towards Buddhahood. There are 108 halls inside, each with
frescoes and Buddha Shrines, the frescoes showing a strong
Indian influence. Before 1959 traders coming from Kalimpong
and Gangtok (India) used to enter Tibet through Yandong
and then to Gyantse, en route to Lhasa.
Palcho Monastery and Kumbum
Stupa:
Located in Gyantse town and founded jointly by Kedup Je
of the Gelugpa Sect and Rabten Kunsang of the Sakyapa Sect
in 1418. Palcho Monastery has a special influence over Tibet's
Buddhism owing to its being a unity of three different sects,
the Gelungpa, the Sakyapa and Bhuton Sect, in one single
monastery. The famous Kumbum pagoda stands nine storeys
with its 108 doors and 77 chapels containing clay sculptures
and various murals. The pagoda is said to have 100,000 images,
either sculptured or painted, this also earns its name to
"100,000 - Image Pagoda".
SHIGATSE (Xigatse) - (12,795ft/3,900m):
"Shigatse" in Tibetan means " the Estate
that fulfills one's Wishes". There is a bustling 'free'
market at the foot of the ruins of the Xigatse Fortress
where one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral
and turquoise, Tibetan daggers, Chinese porcelain and yak
butter.
It is situated between 29o 02'N and 88o 08'E in the south
- west of the Tibet Autonomous Region where Nyangchu River
joins the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Shigatse is the second
biggest town in Tibet and it is the center of transportation
and the distributing center of agriculture and husbandry
products of south eastern part of Tibet. It is famous for
the great Monastery.
Tashilungpo
Monastery:
It is the biggest Gelugpa monastery in the Tsang region
of Tibet. It is located in the town of Sigatse and was founded
by Gedun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder of the
Gelungpa Sect. Gedun Drup was later recognized as the first
Dalai Lama. It was formerly built in 1447 and continuously
expanded by the successive Panchen Lamas. The Ngagpa College
(Tantric College), one of its four monastic colleges, was
the residence of the Panchen lamas. The most amazing image
in this monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future
Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914, and took
four years for its establishment. This giant statue stands
twenty six meters in height and 275 Kg. of solid gold, great
quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoises,
corals and ambers have absolved for its construction. The
4th Panchen Lama's funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it
stands eleven meters high and it covered with solid gold
and silver.
Samye
Monastery:
It is the first monastery ever built in Tibet. It was founded
by the Tibetan King Trisiong Detsen and belongs to the Nyingmapa
and Sakyapa sects. The construction consists of three styles,
namely, the Han, the Tibetan and the Indian. It is said
that the monastery was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt
three hundred years as the residence of the 6th Dalai Lama.
Finally, it was completed by Rating Rimpoche. To visit this
monastery a ferry across the Yarlung Zangpo river has to
be taken from the road to Tsetang.
Yumbu
Lagang - the oldest building in Tibet:
Yumbu Lagang, situated in Nedong country of Lhoka Prefecture,
Yumbu Langang is said to be the first palace in Tibetan
history and built in the second century B.C. The palace,
facing west, stands lofty on top of the hill. Statues of
the Three Periods of Buddha, Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo,
Lha Tho - Tho - Ri Nyantsen, Tri Ralpachen, Songtsen Gampo
and Trisong Detsen are enshrined in the palace.
Tumuli
of Ancient Kings:
Situated in Chongye country, Lhoka Preference, the tumuli
are referred to a group of tombs of kings in Tubo Kingdom.
The tombs are massive knolls of earth with flat tops like
platforms. There are eight or mine tombs can be obviously
seen among which the tombs of King Songtsen Gampo, Tride
Tsukten and Trissong Detsen can be well identified.
Shalu
Monastery:
Shalu monastery, located within the Salu village near Shigatse.
Shalu Monastery was built in the year 1000 by Jetsun Sherab
Jungne. The architecture of the monastery with a feature
of completely Chinese Yuan Dynasty's temple, it is a rare
and unique work of art, mixed feature of Tibetan and Han.
The monastery enshrines various relics such as religious
objects, Buddhist scriptures written on "pattra"
leaves, and an important decree of Pagpa, the Sakya abbot.
Sakya
Monastery:
Located in Sakya Country, about 30 kms off the Shigatse-Xegar
highway. The monastery stood in two parts on either side
of Dongchu River. This monastery is the center of the Sakyapa
Sect (White Earth Order). The northern part of the monastery
was built in the year 1079 and the southern founded in 1268
by a famous abbot of Sakya named Pagpa who once had ruled
the whole of Tibet under the Yuan Dynasty's supervision.
The monastery has great influence over the Tibetan history
and cultural development. The State Council of PRC has classified
it the national level protected monuments. Owing to its
valuable and voluminous amount of Buddhist sutras and cultural
remains, the monastery is often considered as the "Tunhuang
the Second".
XEGAR
(Shegar) (13,800 ft/4200m):
A new Chinese commune built at the foot of the ruins of
Xegar Dzong, 7 kms. from the main road. With a population
of 3000, it is the centre of this large and remote area
and a base from which expeditions to Mt. Everest and other
peaks are launched.
ZHANGMU (7,545ft/2,300m):
Better known by it's Tibetan name, Khasa. A small settlement
clinging to a hillside 10Kms. from the Friendship Bridge
across the Bhote Koshi river. Since the closure of the China/India
border from Gangtok, Zhangmu has become the major trading
point between Tibet and Nepal. The climate is quite different
from the hinterland. The hills around Zangmu are heavily
wooded with many waterfalls in summer and impressive ice
formations it winter. It has a bank, a post office, a government
store, and is presently undergoing a construction boom to
meet the demands of trade and tourism.
NYALAMU
(Nayalam) (12,467ft/3,800m):
Known as 'Kuti' to Nepalese traders, tucked into a fertile
valley, Nyalamu used to be an important trade centre. Nowadays,
barrack style Chinese communes surround the typical old
flat roofed, mud-brick houses. Although vegetation is sparse,
one can see an abundance of alpine fauna of the hillside
during the summer months.
Yamdok
Yumtso - The Sacred Lake:
Yamdok Yumtso, one of the three largest lakes of Tibet,
lies about a hundred kilometer's' distance to the southwest
of Lhasa. The surface of the lake, with its fathomless depth,
covers some six hundred squire kilometers. To the interior
of the lake ten or so hilly islands stand independently
one from the other which give homes to flocks of wide ducks.
Fish in the lake is plentiful and tasty for diet.
THE
HIMALAYAS:
The mighty Himalayas, like a silver screen zigzags along
Tibet's southern horizon. It possesses eleven peaks over
8000 meters above sea level, among which five lie along
the Sino - Nepalese boundary line, namely, Mt. Qomolangma
(Mt. Everest) (8848m), the world's highest peak, Mt. Lhotse
(8516m), the world's fourth highest peak, Mt Makalu (8463
m) the fifth highest, Mt. Cho Oyu (8201m), the sixth highest
and Mt. Shisha Pangma (8012m) the 14th highest. Some thirty
peaks over 7000 meters and many more are above 6000 meters
also in this same Shigatse region.
The landscape at the northern side of the Himalayas is
as attractive as it is in the south. World's highest glaciers
are found at the northern slope of the Himalayas, which
are mysteriously in wait for man's exploration. A trip to
the Himalayas would bring one a lot of unforgettable memories!
Mt. Everest (Qomolangma)
(29029ft/8848m):
Qomolangma Meaning " Goddess" in Tibetan, is the
highest mountain on earth with an altitude of 8848m/29029ft.
Mount Qomolangma, known to the western world as Mt. Everest,
stands a the south of Tingri in the southern Tibet, on the
border land of the central Himalayas, between China and
Nepal, capped with accumulated eternal snow. The optimum
weather on Mount Qomolangma is from April to June, an golden
period for mountaineers. Each year a great number brave
robust mountaineers come from all over the world to tour
and climb Mount Qomolangma, hoping to fulfil a life-long
wish by climbing and looking out the world's highest peak.
Ruins
of Guge Kingdom:
Situated in Tsada country of Ngari Prefecture, Guge Kingdom
was originally built in 10th century. According to historical
records some sixteen hereditary kings had dominated this
Kingdom.
The extentive Guge kingdom ruins are found on a hillside
about 300 meters in height. The ruins cover an area of 180000
squire meters, and includes more than 300 meters chapels,
300 caves, 3 stups each about 10 meters in height and five
magnificent temples and palaces. In the temples many lively
murals and clay sculptures can be still seen.
