Geography
The Holy City of Lhasa, seat of the Dalai Lamas, was for centuries a closed city. Its physical isolation behind snowcapped mountains encouraged outsiders to envision Lhasa as a place of extreme purity and spirituality. Its reputation as a hallowed city was bolstered by the reports of early visitors. They included Indian pilgrims and Nepalese merchants, followed by a few hardy European explorers-often disguised as monks or nomads-who wrote glowingly of Lhasa’s maze-like alleyways and palatial monasteries. Some visitors ventured to Lhasa seeking elixirs of life or the utopia they had read of in often-mistranslated Tantric texts. From these projections and spiritual quests sprund the notion of Lhasa as Shangri-la, a fantasy that retains much currency to this day.
As the beautiful capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Lhasa is situated in the South Central part of the region, on the North bank of the Kyichu River (Lhasa River) in a mountain-fringed valley. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, covers 30,000 square kilometers (11,583 square miles), with a population of 400,000, of which 87 percent are Tibetans. The urban population is 180,000.
History
Despite Lhasa’s remoteness, the city’s history has been intermittently but profoundly shaped by people and ideas originating from outside the Tibetan plateau, especially from India-the birthplace of the historical Buddha-as well as Mongolia and other parts of China. Naturally, cultural transmission also operated in reverse, and Tibetan Buddism was embraced by dynastic emperors for the better part of a millennium. Of course, foreigners were interested in a lot more than ideas. The Russian and British empires vied for influence over Tibet as part of their “ Great Game.”
Lhasa rose to prominence as an important administrative centre in the 7th century AD, when Songtsen Gampo (c 618–49), a local ruler in the Yarlung Valley, continued the task initiated by his father of unifying Tibet. Songtsen Gampo moved his capital to Lhasa and built a palace on the site now occupied by the Potala. At this time the temples of Ramoche and the Jokhang were established to house Buddha images brought to Tibet as the dowries of Songtsen Gampo’s Chinese and Nepali wives.
With the break-up of the Yarlung empire 250 years later, Buddhism enjoyed a gradual resurgence at monastic centres outside Lhasa and the centre of power shifted to Sakya, Nedong (Ü) and then Shigatse (Tsang). No longer the capital, Lhasa now languished in the backwaters of Tibetan history until the fifth Dalai Lama (1617–82) defeated the Shigatse kings with Mongol support.
The fifth Dalai Lama moved his capital to Lhasa. He built his palace, the Potala, on the site of the ruins of Songtsen Gampo’s 7th-century palace. Lhasa has remained Tibet’s capital since 1642, and most of the city’s historical sights date from this second stage of the city’s development.
Modern Lhasa in many ways provides the visitor with both the best and the worst of contemporary Tibet. Photographs of the city taken before October 1950 reveal a small town nestled at the foot of the Potala and linked by an avenue to another cluster of residences in the area of the Jokhang. The population of the city before the Chinese takeover is thought to have been between 20, 000 and 30, 000. Today the city has a population of around 500, 000, and Chinese residents easily outnumber Tibetans, perhaps 2:1.
Shöl, the village at the foot of the Potala, has all but disappeared, and the old West Gate, through which most people entered the Holy City, was torn down during the Cultural Revolution to be replaced by a smaller, modern version in 1995. The area in front of the Potala has been made into a Tiananmen-style public square, complete with a 35m-tall monument to the ‘liberation’ of Tibet (under constant guard to prevent vandalism). What used to be the Tibetan picnic spot of Gumolingka Island is now a Chinese-style shopping and karaoke complex.
The Tibetan quarter is now an isolated enclave in the eastern end of town, comprising only around 4% of the total area of contemporary Lhasa. Even these lingering enclaves of tradition are under threat despite official protection. Lhasa has probably changed more in the last 20 years than in the thousand years before.
Today, Lhasa is an open city whose development is influenced by outsiders more than ever. Like all the capitals of China’s provinces and autonomous regions. Lhasa is under Beijing’s jurisdiction. With tourists from other parts of China have arrived to contribute to Lhasa’s development. Observers have voiced concerns about the impact of a tourist surge on this city of 400,000, especially now that the Qinghai-Tibet rail link is operational. More quietly, other pundits are musing about the reverse impact-namely that of the ideas that tourists will bring home with them from Lhasa.
Best time to visit here
Generally the period from March to October is the best time to visit Tibet. Since Lhasa is located at such a high altitude it is wise to be prepared before starting your journey. Generally speaking, due to the large temperature differences during any given day in Tibet, warm clothes should be taken to keep away the cold. However, because it also receives a great deal of sunshine, sunglasses, suntan oil, and a sun hat are indispensable items if you're traveling anywhere in Tibet.
Highlights
Lhasa has many sites of historic interest, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Zhefeng Temple, Drepung Monastery and Norbulingka. However, many important sites were damaged or destroyed mostly, but not solely, during the Cultural Revolution.
The city of Lhasa contains three concentric paths used by pilgrims to circumambulate (walk around) the sacred Johkhang Temple, many of whom make full or partial prostrations along these routes in order to gain spiritual merit. The innermost, the Nangkor (Nang-skor), is contained within the Jokhang Temple, and surrounds the sanctuary of the Jowo Shakyamuni, the most sacred statue in Tibetan Buddhism. The middle circumambulatory, the Barkor (Bar-skor), passes through the Old Town and surrounds the Jokhang Temple and various other buildings in its vicinity. The outer Lingkor (Gling-skor) encircles the entire traditional city of Lhasa. Due to the construction of a large new street, Beijing Lam, the Lingkor is not usually used by pilgrims.
Every August the Shoton Festival, one of Tibet's biggest traditional festivals, is held in Lhasa; it was first held in the 7th century.
Food in Lhasa can also be seen as part of the culture. Usually, Tibetans live on mutton and beef. Especially for the herdsmen, who dry the mutton and beef before winter comes so that there are supplies during the cold months. Wine is indispensable to Tibetans, who brew it with Qingke, a kind of crop which grows on Qingzang Plateau.
Transportation to Lhasa
Currently there are three options for travel to Tibet, by plane, by road and by train.
1. Taking the plane is a comfortable and timesaving option, but offers little time for you to acclimatise to the altitude; this may cause sickness.
2. Taking the bus along one of five highways that have been opened-up for tourists' use. This will take longer but will enable you to see the amazing scenery en route. Furthermore, taking extra time allows for a more gradual acclimatization to the altitude.
3. Taking the train, is a fabulous new option, giving the opportunity to see hitherto unseen mountain scenery. With the operation of Tibet Railway from July 1st, 2006, more and more tourist have swarmed into Tibet via the great Tibet train.'
