TIBET

On our tour of Tibet we will visit Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet
LHASA, TIBET
Your tour in Lhasa includes the trip from Chengdu, China to the Lhasa, Tibet Airport, a bus trip from the Lhasa Airport to Lhasa, a visit to our hotel, a walk through the streets of Lhasa, a visit to the Jokhang Temple, a dinner show at a local tavern, a visit to The Deji Orphanage, a visit with a local family and finally a walk through one of the wonders of the world; The Potala Palace.
CHENGDU, CHINA TO THE LHASA AIRPORT-The trip on China Air takes us along side the Himalaya Mountains with snow covered peaks over 20,000 feet high. To view photos click on THUMBNAILS  and/or SLIDE SHOW.

LHASA AIRPORT TO HOTEL-The airport is several miles from town so you will see the county side and some animals on the bus ride. Lhasa is at an altitude of 12,000 feet. To view photos click on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW.

OUR HOTEL in LHASA- Our hotel is located in the center city. To view photos click on THUMBNAILS and /or SLIDE SHOW

STREETS OF LHASA -For 350 years, Lhasa, the "City of the Sun" has been at the political and economic center of Tibet. The country itself has existed since the 7th century as a remote mountain theocracy based on the mystical tenets of Lamaism, a form of Tantric Indian Buddhism coupled with Tibetan shamanism. Here, feudal Lamas whose spiritual authority was matched by their complete control of internal affairs ruled the rural population. Some reigns were benevolent, others, ruthless.

The autonomy of the lamas waxed and waned during various Chinese dynasties, with almost complete independence enjoyed during the Republican period (1912-1949). But things changed with the Revolution. In 1951, through military action and pressured negotiation, China reestablished its sovereignty. After years of steadily increasing oppression, a revolt broke out in 1959, and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India.

Widespread persecution of the Tibetan people continued, reaching a peak during the Cultural Revolution. Thousands of monks and nuns were sent to labor camps. Hundreds of ancient monasteries were destroyed wholesale. Arbitrary agricultural reforms, such as imposed planting of unfamiliar crops and the collectivization of yak and goat herds, undermined traditional Tibetan life. The population was further destabilized when the Chinese government encouraged non- Tibetan Han Chinese people to settle in Tibet, thereby weakening the cultural foundations of the region.

In spite of these hardships, Tibetan culture has continued to thrive under the stewardship of the exiled Dalai Lama, who received the Noble Peace Prize in 1989. A charismatic figure, he has been able to force the Chinese government into seeking normalized relations, restoring temples, allowing some religious freedoms, and permitting some degree of free enterprise. Attempts by the government to court the Dalai Lama back to China have been unsuccessful so far. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama, along with a growing coterie of international celebrities and activists, continues in the struggle to safeguard Tibetan human rights. And the world remains fascinated by the Tibetan mystique. Take a walk through Lhasa by clicking on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW

THE JOKHANG TEMPLE-The Jokhang Temple or Jokhang Monastery, in Lhasa is the most important sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism and one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the world. Many pilgrims come to pray at Jokhang and it is also a popular tourist destination. Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center and holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, attracting thousands of prostrate pilgrims each year. It is also the site of the annual Great Prayer Festival, as well as all ceremonies of initiation for the Dalai Lama and Panchen Llamas.

Jokhang Temple was built in 746 AD by King Songtsen Gampo and his two foreign wives who introduced Buddhism into Tibet. The temple has been regularly expanded over the years, most notably under the Fifth Dalai Lama. The temple was constructed to house a sacred image of the Buddha, which the king's Nepalese wife brought with her as a dowry. This statue is still enshrined within the temple and is perhaps the most venerated image in Tibet. Photos can be viewed by clicking on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW  

DINNER SHOW -View photos by clicking on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW

THE DEJI ORPHANAGE-Eighty-eight orphans of Han and Tibetan ethnic groups are now part of one large, happy family - Deji Orphanage in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The orphanage was established by Da Zhen, a middle-aged woman who runs her own company. This orphanage is supported by the Grand Circle Foundation. The children gave us a tour of their home. View photos by clicking on THUMBNAILS and /or SLIDE SHOW
TIBETAN FAMILY VISIT- We learned a little about Tibetan cluture by visiting a local family. View photos by clicking on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW
THE POTALA PALACE-Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the Red Palace. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

From as early as the eleventh century the palace was called Potala. This name probably derives from Mt. Potala, the mythological mountain abode of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara / Kuan Yin) in southern India. The Emperor Songtsen Gampo had been regarded as an incarnation of Chenresi. Given that he founded the Potala, it seems likely that the hilltop palace of Lhasa took on the name of the Indian sacred mountain. The Potala Palace is an immense structure, its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters. Fulfilling numerous functions, the Potala was first and foremost the residence of the Dalai Lama and his large staff. In addition, it was the seat of Tibetan government, where all ceremonies of state were held; it housed a school for religious training of monks and administrators; and it was one of Tibet's major pilgrimage destinations because of the tombs of past Dalai Lamas. Within the White Palace are two small chapels, the Phakpa Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk; dating from the seventh century, these chapels are the oldest surviving structures on the hill and also the most sacred. The Potala's most venerated statue, the Arya Lokeshvara, is housed inside the Phapka Lhakhang, and it draws thousands of Tibetan pilgrims each day. View photos by clicking on THUMBNAILS and/or SLIDE SHOW

The tour of Tibet is completed. Do not forget to take the tour of China.

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