LHASA
Tibet's capital Lhasa (11,850 ft.) was, and
still is, the religious, cultural and economic
centre of Tibet with a history going back over
1,300 years. The magnificent Potala Palace,
former seat of the Dalai lama, presides over
the city. Built in 1645 at the top of a hill,
the palace contains 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines
and 200,000 religious statues. The old city
revolves around the Jhokhang Temple and the
quaint Barkhor market that surrounds it. The
Jhokhang, built in the seventh century, is the
holiest Buddhist shrine in Tibet. Its mural
paintings finely worked golden roofs and other
artworks are something to see. At a little distance
from the old city core, Lhasa is also a modern
capital of concrete high-rises, fancy department
stores and wide boulevards.
Norbulingka consists
of wooded greenery and three palaces once used
by the Dalai Lama as summer retreat.
Drepung Monastery
lies about 10 km from the city. Built in 1416,
it is the largest monastery in Tibet. The Sera
Monastery, about 5 km to the north of Lhasa,
is another important center of Buddhist learning.
Sera Monastery :
Sera means Hail stone in Tibetan. Set on the
foot of the Wudu hill to the north of Lhasa
city, Sera comprises of a great sutra chanting
hall, a college and 32 sections.
Jokhang Temple :
Jokhang temple built in 647 A.D. is the spiritual
centre of Tibet and the holiest destination
for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. It houses the
sitting statue of Sakamuni when he was 12 years
old.
Barkhor Bazaar :
is the oldest street of ancient Lhasa city,
circling the Jokhang Temple.
Potala palace :
Potala palace, located on the Red Hill, was
built in 640 A.D. during the region of Songtsen
Gampi. The original Potala palace was destroyed
in the 9th century but was rebuilt in the 17th
century. During the region of the 5th Dalai
Lama.
Monastery is situated to the west
of Lhasa city and was founded in 1417 by one
of the disciples of Tsong Khampa. It was the
largest and richest of the three major yellow
sect monasteries in Lhasa.
MOUNT KAILASH and LAKE
MANASAROVAR in western Tibet are intensely
scared pilgrimage sites for the Hindu, Buddhist,
Jain and Bon faithful - besides presenting an
entrancing natural sight. Kailash is 1,257 km
over a mountain highway from Lhasa.
ZHANGMU
Zhangmu (7,000ft.) better known by its Tibetan
name, Khasa, is a small settlement clinging
to a hillside 10 Km inland from the Friendship
Bridge across the Bhotekoshi rover. After the
closure of the Chinal India border from Gangtok,
Zhangmu has become the major trading post between
Tibet and Nepal. The climate is quite different
from the hinterland. The hills around Zhangmu
are heavily wooded with innumerable waterfalls
in the summer and frozen 'icicles' during the
winter. It has a bank, a post office, government
store, and is presently undergoing a construction
boom to meet the demands of trade and tourism.
NYALAMU
Nyalamu (12,200 ft.), known as 'Kiti' to Nepalese
traders, used to be an important trade post
tucked into a fertile valley. Now-a-days, barrack
style Chinese communes surround the typical
old, flat roofed, mud-brick houses. Although
vegetation is sparse, one can see and abundance
of alpine fauna on the hillside during the summer
months.
GUTSUO
Gutsuo (14, 200 ft.) is a military base camp
situated at the start of the plateau, after
passing through the Thongla pass (16,400 ft.)
from where a most panoramic views of the northern
face of the Himalayan range unfolds. The best
view of Mt. Everest and its neighbouring peaks
can be seen from the road at Gutsuo. Accommodation
here would be in tented camps or at the barracks
itself.
XEGAR
Xegar (13,800 ft.) is a new Chinese commune
built at the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong,
and is 7 Km from the main road. With a population
of 3,000, its importance lies in the fact that
it is the centre of this large and remote where
country and also a base from where expeditions
to Mt. Everest and other peaks are launched.
LHAZE
Lhaze (13,100 ft.) is situated at the crossroads
from where the road turns westwards towards
Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar Lake. During the
short summer season, the whole valley is covered
with green barely fields and bright- yellow
mustard meadows, and is a welcome change after
the barren lands of the Tibetan plateau. There
is also a small, hot spring located a few kilometers
away.
XIGATSE
Xigatse (12,600) is most famous for its Tashilhunpo
Monastery - the seat of the Panchen lama, who
is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha
of Endless Enlightenment. Items of interest
inside this monastery built in 1447 by the first
Dalai Lama are : the relics of Sakyamuni, the
Hall of Maitreya, and a mind-boggling collection
of Thankas, frescoes and statues. 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 procelain and yak butter.
GYANTSE
Gyantse (13,050 ft.) is a small agriculture
town famous for its wool carpets and the Phalkor
Choide Chorten. Amongst the lamasery and the
fort, this unique structure built in 1414 consist
of five steps to enlightening the five storeys
representing the five steps to enlightenment,
topped by thirteen rings which symbolise the
stages of advancement towards Buddhahood. There
are 108 halls inside, each with frescoes showing
a strong Indian coming from Kalimpong and Gangtok
(India) used to enter Tibet through Yandong
and then to Gyantse, enrouted to Lhasa.
The road from Gyantse to
Lhasa takes over three mountain passes : Simala(4,380
m high), Karola(5,045 m) and Ghampala(4,794
m). The highway skirts the Yamdrok Tso Lake
before twisting up the Ghampala pass from the
top of which there's a fantastic view of the
lake on one side and the Yarlung Tsangpo river
on the other
NAGARJE
Nagarje (14,300 ft.) is settlement by the shores
of Yamdrok lake. This freshwater lake, unlike
other Tibetan lake, is sweet and non-saline,
extending for 624 sq. Km., in the shape of the
two pincers of a large scorpion. During summer,
it is turquoise green in colour, but during
winter it has thick crust of ice over it. It
is abundant in fish and migratory birds can
be seen in its vicinity. At a mountain pass
at of 16,000 ft. enroute Nagarje one can see,
even in summer, the holy pinpointed glacier.
