Potala Palace
This world -famous architectural wonder is built on the
escarpments of the Red Hill and rises high above the valley
floor.The awesome Potala can be seen from all directions
for miles around.A stronghold probably existed on red hill
as early as the seventh century AD, when king Songtsen Gampo
built a fortress on it for his two foreign wives. He is
reputed to have studied the Buddhist scriptures there after
his conversion from the bon faith.Fires lightening and wars
took their toll, yet 1000 years later two of the original
rooms still remained.The present Potala was built mainly
in the fifth Dalai Lama's reign, between 1645 and 1693.It
became the winter palace in 1755,when the seventh Dalai
Lama made the Norbulingka in to a summer residence. The
Potala remained the center of political and religious power
for the Dalai Lama. With over 1000 rooms , it contained
the living quarters of the dalai Lamas while they lived
and their sumptuous golden tombs when they died. Regent,
tutors and other high Lamas also had apartments in the place,
the Potala held the office of the government, a huge printing
house at the base where Buddhist scriptures were hand printed
from woodblock and seminary to train government officials,
run by the elite order of monks of Namgayal Monastery who
surrounded the god king. Hundreds of elaborately decorated
chapels and shrines, halls and corridors contained thousand
of gilded statue -Tibet pantheon of Buddha ,Bodhisattvas,
saints and demons.The round outside towers were fortifications,
but legend says they are wings to fly the Potala to safety
from a future devastating flood. Beneath the splendid ceremonial
areas of the palace lay a warren of soot blackened cells
for monks and servants, and great treasuries-one for the
Dalai Lamas and regent, and other for the state.Still lower
lay granaries and store rooms filled with pilgrims gifts
and enough yak butter to fuel the Potala countless votive
lamps for years. At the base, carved from living rock, were
the dungeons, the dreaded cave of scorpions, from which
enemies of the rulers rarely emerged.
It consists of a white
palace and a Red palace, with one small yellow portion between
them. White palace was built in the lifetime of fifth Dalai
Lama ,present structure is extended by the thirteen Dalai
Lama in the early 20th century. Fifth Dalai Lama moved from
Drepung Monastery in 1650.His death was concealed for ten
years by the regent who explained his absence as a series
of religious retreats. During those years Red Palace was
built.
The construction of
the Potala Palace was huge undertaking . It is 13 storey
(1000METERS) high, 400mtrs east to west, 350 meters north
to south.Its inward sloping stone walls are on average,
three meters thick, at the base fully five meters.Copper
was poured in to the foundation to help them withstand earthquakes.
So much earth was dug up for mortar behind the red hill
that the pit was turned in to a lake.
Jokhang Temple:
The Jokhang temple is the spiritual center of the Tibet,its
holy place, the dectination, over time, of millions of Tibetean
pilgrims. This temple begun to built in seventh century
AD.It Was one of the two temples built by the King Songtsen
Gampo to house the statue of Buddha that his two foreign
wives brought to Tibet from China and Nepal.Legend says
that Songtsen Gampo threw his ring into air promising to
build temple wherever it landed.The ring felt in to a lake
and struck a rock where a white stupa miraculously appeared
an auspicious sign.Workmen filled the lake with stones,
and the Jokhang was built over it by craftsmen from Tibet,China,Nepal,Mongolaia
and Kashmir.Even today a pool exist under the jokhang main
courtyard. Following removal of part of the Barkhor Bazar
in 1985 to make way for a plaza,three monuments that stand
infront of the Jokhang were enclosed in walls.Th epillar
on the left is a treaty stone recording an alliance between
the king of Tibet and the emperor of China in AD 823.On
the right ,the more visible of the two tables was epidemic.
The tablet was partly eaten away by people who thought the
stone itself had curative powers.
The outer courtyard
and porch of the temple are usually filled with pilgrims
making full-length prostrations toward the holy sanctum.
Its innermost shrine contains the oldest, most precious
objects in Tibet-the original Statue of Sakyamuni, which
princes Wen Cheng brought from Changan 1300 years ago.It
was enlarged eight times between the seventh century and
1600,when the fifth Dalai Lama added its last embellishments.
It consist of an elaborate porch leading to frescoed cloister
around an open court yeard.
Drepung Monastery
Drepung lies five miles (8kms) west of Lhasa on a main road,
then two miles(3kms) north on a steep, unpaved road. Its
name means Rice Heap, after its jumble of white buildings
piled up against Mt. Gambo use it was the biggest and richest
monastery in Tibet. Its Lamas who helped to train each young
Dalai Lama, could guess how a new god king would rule-as
a leader or as a tool of the regent.
It was founded in
1614 by a disciple of Tsonga Kappa, with a noble family
as patron's fifth Dalai Lama enlarged it and ruled there
while the Potala was being built. At its height Drepung
had over 10,000 monks. It governed 700 sub-sidearm monasteries
and owned vast estates.
Of the 6000 monks
who lived here in 1959, half including all the high Lamas,
fled with the Dalai Lama. The rest went home, took up trades
and married. A handful of elderly monks stayed on the monastery,
laboring on a 20 hectare (50acre) farm that Chinese let
them keep. Today about 400 monks and novices live there,
turning a profit from their orchards, which produce the
best apples in Lhasa.
The Monastery was
divided in to four tantric colleges which at the highest
level specialized in different branches of knowledge. Each
had its own chanting hall, dormitories, kitchen and offices.
The entire monastic community assembled only for special
ceremonies and festivals.
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery lies on the northern edge of Lhasa at he
base of Tatipu Hill.Sera means merciful hail,denoting its
rivalry with Rice Heap(Drepung), since hail destroys rice.Sera
was smaller than the Drepung with 7000monks, but very rich
and comparable in power. Today it has 300monks and some
of its buildings house a farm.It was founded in 1419 by
one of Tsong Khapa's eight disciple. It become famous for
its tantric teaching, while Drepung drew fame from its governing
role.The monks of sera were considered clever and dangerous.Its
small army of warrior monks the dob-dobs, were admired as
athletes but also feared.Sera's rebelliousness some time
posed a threat to the state.In 1947,its leaders planned
to kill the regent and install a rival.witness recount that
stopped in Lhasa were barricaded and the nobles armed their
servants for fear of rampaging monks. Sera Monastery has
three colleges, are
SERA JE COLLEGE: its holy west chapel contains an awesome,
horse-headed demon-god,Hayagriva, whose origins go back
to the pre Buddhist Bon religion. DEBATING GARDEN COLLEGE:
Here monks prepare for monastic examination by staging mock
debates in the ritual way.Some sit cross legged under the
trees, while others run from group to group giving vigorous
handclaps to end a statement or make a point. Masters and
dignitaries sit on the raised tiers when a real examination
takes place.In Tibetan Buddhism, the debating garden is
the whetstone on which the mind is sharpened, and the importance
of the institution can not be stressed too strongly.Years
of study, memorization meditation and intellectual struggle
produce monks with outstanding abilities who keep alive
a profound religious tradition. Painting of sera( rock painting)
is notable, blue yamantaka with Prajna, Tsong Khapa above
and sera abbot, Sakya Yeshe. At the top. Entering in the
ASSEMBLY HALL(Tsokchen) at roof level and in an east chapel,
find the greatest treasure of Sera's -glided Chenrezi with
hundred of hands and eyes.Acolossal Maitreya can be seen
from both the roof and chanting hall.
Ngag-pa College has
many interesting objects, but the chanting hall of SERA
ME COLLEGE down the hill is truly remarkable.It has the
best vestibule murals anywhere,especially its wheel of life.
SKY BURIALS :
one kilometers east of Sera is an isolated rock where SKY
BURIALS take place at dawn-Tibetans learned to break the
bodies of their dead into small pieces and feed them to
the birds. Thus their last earthly act is to make a compassionate
gift of their body to feed other creatures. Vultures, ravens
and kites swoop down when the body breakers, called dolmens,
have done their work. The whole gruesome process takes about
two hours, the dead Tibetan literally vanishing into thin
air. In the past thrill seeking tourist have outraged local
feeling by arriving in Car and demanding to take photos
and videos, and so tourist are now banned by law from intruding.
Lake Namtso
It is second biggest salt lake in Tibet lies 210 kms north
of Lhasa.It is fairly rugged trip off beaten track but the
rewards are considerable .At present this is best opportunity
open to travelers to see nomads on the move their yaks herds
and to get the flavour of Tibet's high grasslands. The lake
itself is spectacular and still totally wild.The altitude
exceeds 4300 meters for the most of journey and one mountain
pass is 5200mtrs.The road from Lhasa follows After leaving
from Lhasa the route follows the Damxung River valley through
fields of rape and barley passing small villages Greenery
and dwelling become sparser as the valley narrows.the road
enter a steep, rocky gorges 80 kilometers from Lhasa and
climbs beside the tumbling River for several kilometers
,when it merges on the Tibet northern plateau a totally
new landscapes greet the travelers.Windswept grassland alternating
with grave desert stretch between snowcapped mountains and
a chain of steep bare hills. This is land of nomads too
high for farms and villages.
Yangbajing 87 kilometers
north of an elevation of 4300mtrs borders on a flat area
of hot spring covers 16 square kilometers.Steam and geyser
can be seen rising from the plain.These feed two new geothermal
electricity generating stations and a huge geodesic green
house that uses warmth and humidity from the steam to produce
un seasonal vegetables.If nomads are in the vicinity yaks
graze, right up to the wire fence apparently unperturbed
by the racket of guising steam and the modern technology
on the other side. Power plant supplies electricity in Lhasa,
it is first and biggest thermal development in China established
in 1976.The electricity produced is vital Tibet's economic
development as all other kind of fuel except yak dung and
wood, have to be trucked in.The plant can be visited by
arrangement with CITS .A technician answers question and
conduct a guided tour of the steam-powered generators,cooling
towers and steam-heated green house where vegetables grow
through out year.
The road runs a long,
straight , upland valley usually dotted with nomad encampment
and herd of yaks.The nomads who roam over vast areas of
Northern Tibet make up about a quarter of the population
of central and western Tibet.They produce wool,that has
been Tibet's chief export for centuries and contributed
an essential part of the country's diet in meat and dairy
products
Damxung is a bleak
small settlement of low barrack-like buildings founded in
1960 situated at 4400mtrs.unlike town in the southern farming
areas,it has no old Tibetan villages at its heart.Its main
street has the raw look of an American wild west frontier
town, with stocky nomads horses hitched to the post of open
front stores.A small ghost town stands near an abandoned
airstrip.It is important spot in this region for government
functions and general supplies.It has a barn department
store where basic necessities and sturby clothes can be
bought.A major festival called DAJYUR draws nomads to Damxung
from all direction at the beginning of the lunar Colander's
eight month(solar September) for ten days of festivity horseracing
bicycle-riding contest,rock carrying competition and other
forms of merriment.
Road from there crosses
the plain and follows a stream up a steep, rocky valley
in to the mountains.Local believes wolves, bears, Yeti and
leopard still live in the Nyanchen Tanglha range.A stark
crag and a stone pile mark the top of the LARGEH LA PASS
5132 mtrs high. Occasionally jeep meet a caravana of thousand
yaks heading through the pass laden with hand woven bag,
of sheep's wool.This is a wonderful sightsteered by mounted
,sling-wielding outriders and circling dogs,they fill the
narrow passage. Just beyond the pass a dramatic view of
blue lake ,Lake Namtso appears stretches at 4591 meters.It
covers 1940 square kilometers.Road decends rapidly to the
plain where it continues over grassland fording shallow
streams.Mount Nyanchen stand over the head at 7088mtrs in
the west.Water birds skim the water ,in june hundred of
wild geese nest close off shore on the banks of reeds.Colour
abounds every where in tiny jewel like flowers underfoot
and distant mountains rock.
Tsedang Lies
at 3400 meters altitude 190 kmsSouth East of Lhasa is a
large administrative region known in modern times as Shannam
(South of the Mountains).At its heart lies the ancient kingdom
of Yarlung, the cradle of Tibetan civilization.Tsedang,
its capital, is at the foot of Mt. Gongbari, one central
Tibet's holy Mountains.Tibet creation myth tells how , in
a cave at the back of this small mountain , a saintly monkey
and an ogress gave birth to the Tibetan people .Their early
history including the reigns of some 30 semi -mythical kings,
unfolded in this section of the Yarlong Tsangpo valley.
Tsedang means Playground where the Monkey came to frolic
Tsedang
Shigatse It
is Tibet second largest city, lies at 3900meter elevation
with over 50,000 Population.It is administrative center
of Vast area, formerly called TSANG that includes most western
Tibet and Central Tibet. Historically it rival Lhasa.It
is confluence on the River Yarlong Tsangpo and River Nyangchu.
It is Tibet's richest farming land too. Barely, rape seed,
wheat, beans and other variety of vegetable color the valley
with all shades of green in summer and with bright yellow
patches in June when the rape flower is in bloom.Previously
it was stronghold and monastery city.It forms a horsehoe
around a rocky prominence that was formerly topped by an
awesome fortress.A seat of Panchen Lama, Tashilhunpo Monastery
and the beneath of Mt.Drolmari are the main attraction.
Tahilhunpo Monastery:
Tashilhunpo means heap of Glory, was the seat of Panchen
Lamas. It is lies on the foot of Mt.Drolmari or Tara Mountain.
It is known as Tibet's most active Monasteries. It was founded
in 1447 by the Tsonga Kappa's youngest Disciple, who his
nephew and who designed the yellow hat sect. The early abbots,
who posthumously were named the first, second and third
Panchen Lamas, were learned scholars who often had to flee
to the province of U from fierce Red Hat opponents in Tsang.The
enlargement of monastery took place under the fourth, fifth
and sixth Panchen Lamas. After the yellow hat sect had been
firmly establish as the Tibet official Religion. When the
six broadminded Panchen Lama died of smallpox in Peking
(old name of Beijing) his brother and his treasure sold
his all huge fortune .He did not refuse to distribute it
to the Monastery nor shared with other do brother then he
become the Head of Tsang Province. Another brother who lived
in Nepal led an army of Gurkha warriors to Shigatse in 1791.Where
they sacked and looted Tashihunpo. The Chinese drove out
the Nepalese and at the same time strengthened their influence
Over Tibet. It had over 4000 Monks and was organized like
Lassa's great Monasteries. It had four Tantric College each
with own abbot. After the death of Panchen Lama these four
abbots led the search for his infant reincarnation and one
of them always acted as the Prime Minister of Tsang under
the control of Dalai Lama in Lhasa. It was disbanded as
Monastery by Chinese in 1960, while tenth Panchen Lama was
absent. Today Monastery applies approximately 800 Monks.
The most remarkable object on the Monastery is an enormous
Thank Wall nine storey high, which stands like a huge drive
in movie screen, clearly visible from the city. This structure
is used most of the year for storing gigantic banners bearing
images of the Buddha, which are displayed on the wall three
days a year during summer festivals.
Ganden Monastery
The ruins of this great monastery lie about 45 km, east
of Lhasa. The main road to east is good tarmac beyond Dagze
and then rough gravel for the last few killometers. A track
turns south past two villages and zig zag for nearly 600
Meters up the mountain side to the Monastery. It is situated
4300 M, I n a bowl like an amphitheatre, Ganden was Lhasa's
second biggest monastery at times strongest of the three
that dominated the government. Tsong Khapa established it
in 1409, earlier than either Drepung or Sera, as a place
to train moral disciplined monks and to work out the reformed
version of Tibetan Buddhism that soon evolved in to the
yellow hat sect. Today Ganden's massive effort to rebuild
after the disaster of the Chinese invasion goes on, largely
with the help of Local volunteer effort about 200 monks
have returned.
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