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9781786573759
Lhasa ལྷ་ས་ 拉萨
Around Lhasa
Drepung Monastery
Nechung Monastery
Sera Monastery
Pabonka Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Drak Yerpa
Drölma Lhakhang
Shuksip Nunnery
Lhasa ལྷ་ས་ 拉萨
Why Go?
The centre of the Tibetan Buddhist world for over a millennium, Lhasa (ལྷ་ས་; 拉萨; Lāsà; literally the ‘Place of the Gods’) remains largely a city of wonders. Your first view of the red-and-white Potala Palace soaring above the Holy City raises goosebumps and the charming whitewashed old Tibetan quarter continues to preserve the essence of traditional Tibetan life. It is here in the Jokhang, an otherworldly mix of flickering butter lamps, wafting incense and prostrating pilgrims, and the encircling Barkhor pilgrim circuit, that most visitors first fall in love with Tibet.
These days the booming boulevards of the modern city threaten to overwhelm the winding alleyways and backstreet temples of the Tibetan old town, but it is in the latter that you should focus your time. If possible, budget a week to acclimatise, see the sights and roam the fascinating backstreets before heading off on a grand overland adventure.
When to Go
A Temperatures are comfortable from April to September, with days surprisingly warm and nights pleasantly cool. Sunlight is strong at this altitude, so always wear sunscreen.
A The major festival of Saga Dawa (spring) brings huge numbers of pilgrims to the city, and the August Shötun festival is also a major draw.
A Accommodation can be tight during the first weeks of May and October and the high-season months of July and August, when Chinese tourists flock to the city.
A Consider a winter visit (November to February) for few crowds and big accommodation discounts, but bring warm clothes.
Best Places to Eat
A Snowland Restaurant
A Woeser Zedroe Tibetan Restaurant
A Lhasa Kitchen
Best Places to Stay
A House of Shambhala
A Kyichu Hotel
A Yak Hotel
A Songtsam Choskyi Linka Lhasa
Lhasa Highlights
1 Barkhor Circuit Following monks, mendicants and pilgrims around this medieval pilgrim path.
2 Jokhang Temple Joining the lines of awed pilgrims at the glowing shrines of Tibet’s holiest sanctum.
3 Potala Palace Shuffling past murals and stupas in the impressive citadel of the Dalai Lamas.
4 Sera Monastery Taking in a prayer meeting or some monk-debating at this great monastic centre.
5 Ganden Monastery Taking a day trip out to this important monastery and its kora (pilgrim path).
6 Dropenling Visiting this top-notch crafts centre on a walk past the architecture and workshops of Lhasa’s old town.
7 Meru Nyingba Monastery Tracking down one of Lhasa’s most delightful off-the-beaten-track temples, located in a hidden courtyard.
History
Lhasa rose to prominence as an important administrative centre in the 7th century AD, when King Songtsen Gampo (c 618–49) moved his capital from the Yarlung Valley to Lhasa and built a palace on the site now occupied by the Potala. It was at this time that the temples of Ramoche and Jokhang were founded to house the priceless first Buddha statues 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, Tibet’s centre of power shifted to Sakya, Nedong (Ü) and then Shigatse (Tsang). No longer the capital, Lhasa languished in the backwaters...
Table of contents
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Welcome to Tibet
- Tibet’s Top 20
- Need to Know
- If You Like…
- Month by Month
- Itineraries
- Qīnghǎi–Tibet Railway
- Tours & Permits
- Regions at a Glance
- Lhasa
- Ü
- Tsang
- Ngari
- Eastern Tibet
- Tibetan Treks
- Gateway Cities
- Understand Tibet
- Tibet Today
- History
- Tibetan Landscapes
- The People of Tibet
- Tibetan Buddhism
- Tibetan Art
- Food & Drink
- The Future of Tibet
- Directory A-Z
- Transport
- Health
- Language
- Behind the Scenes
- Our Writers