Lhasa: Main Scenic Spots

Lhasa sits in a huge crater formed by mountains surrounding it on all sides. It is a world-renowned architectural group of palace-fortress style and embodies the essence of Tibetan ancient architectural arts and wisdom of the Tibetan people. It was the religious and political center of old Tibet and the winter residence of Dalai Lamas. From the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama, major religious and political ceremonies were all held here.

The Potala Palace, with a history of about 400 years, was first built in the 7th century under the Tubo chieftain Songtsan Gambo. In the early Tang Dynasty (618-907), Songtsan Gambo took Princess Wencheng, a daughter of the Tang royal family, as his wife. In order that posterity could remember this great event, he had a nine-storey building with a thousand rooms constructed on Red Hill, which is at an altitude of 3,700-odd meters, as the residence for the princess and named it Potala Palace.

The Potala contains treasures unimaginable, although it is unfortunate that very little of it is open to the public today. The Tomb of the Fifth Dalai Lama is within the Potala. It is three storeys high, and made of 3,700kg of gold. A multi-tiered model of a palace resembling a wedding cake, and made of over a quarter of a million pearls, is staggering to behold.

This area bursts with atmosphere and contradictions. On the one hand, this is one of THE holiest areas of Tibet, awash with pilgrims, monks, nuns and temples. On the other, the streets around here are the hub of Lhasa's commercial zone. Street traders, hawkers and market sellers fill the pavements around the Barkhor area. Today, this is not simply part of a pilgrimage circuit but also the heart and soul of the city. Numerous weird and wonderful things can be bought including souvenirs, ornaments, Tibetan knives, and prayer wheels....the list of magical souvenirs is endless.

The Dazhao Temple is 1300 years old and one of Tibet's holiest shrines. It was built to commemorate the marriage of the Tang princess Wen Cheng to King Songtsen Gampo, and houses a pure gold statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni brought to Tibet by the princess. Here, too, hundreds of pilgrims prostrate themselves in front of the temple entrance before continuing on their circuit. Follow the pilgrims through a labyrinth of shrines, halls and galleries containing some of the finest and oldest treasures of Tibetan art. Some originals were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and have been replaced with duplicates.

Norbulingka
The Norbulingka is the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lamas and while truly run down, this garden still deserves a visit both for its historical and cultural significance. This area is especially interesting on festival days with lots to see. The park was established by the 7th Dalai Lama in 1755. More than just a simple summer retreat, this is the headquarters from which the Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet during the summer months. As successive Dalai Lamas all used the Summer Palace for this purpose, the procession from the Potala to Norbulingka became a grand affair and a festive occasion of the Lhasa calendar.

Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery is actually a collection of Buddhist chapels and colleges located about 8km west of Lhasa. The word Drepung can be literally translated as "rice pile", a name whose meaning becomes clear when you see the white-walled buildings scattered along the hill. Originally founded in 1416, the monastery in its heyday was home to 10,000 monks (around 1600). In 1530, the second Dalai Lama built his palace here, known as the Ganden Palace, which was used until the fifth Dalai Lama built the Potala.

Besides the Ganden Palace, the Drepung Monastery buildings also include the tsogchen (the main hall). This is the most important structure of the Monastery. It contains several chapels, of special note are the Chapel to the Maitreya Buddha and chapels to local Tibetan protection goddesses known as Tara.

Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery lies 4 km north of Lhasa, and was one of only eight [of some 3000] monasteries in all of Tibet to be spared the vicissitudes of the Cultural Revolution. It is here that the monks' famous daily debates take place, at 3.30pm. They are highly stylized with much clapping and stamping, and always attract many spectators. Sky burials are still occasionally practiced at Sera, although they are much less common than they used to be because of the unholy and unhealthy interest shown by tourists. It is considered the height of indecency to intrude upon a sky burial. [The deceased is chopped into pieces and left on the mountains for the vultures.]

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