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Published: October 30th 2005
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Hi again,
Lhasa, "the ground of the gods" in Tibetan, is a very special city. It has a strong spiritual feeling, full of temples, monks, pilgrims, etc. And right above it all roams the Potala palace, the house of the Dalai Lamas that is currently a huge museum. This enormous structure is amazing, and when I entered the city and saw it for the first time I really missed a heart beat.
It also has a long history, and is the heart of the struggle between the Tibetans and the "liberating" Chinese.
I don't want to go into too much detail regarding the China-Tibet situation, because it is hard to know the facts as a visitor. It is always easy to lean towards the weak and demand the liberation of the conquered country. But there are two sides here, with historical claims dating way back to the 13th century, when the Mongolian Empire ruled both China and Tibet. The known facts are that in the 50's China has conquered Tibet, claiming to liberate it and reunite it with the main land. Thousands of Tibetans were killed or imprisoned, and the Dalai Lama ran away to India. The Chinese claim they bring
Another picture...
This time with the stupas... the Tibetans to the 20th century, after being stuck somewhere in the middle ages. This is probably true -Tibet is the province getting the highest funds in China in the past few years, roads, electricity, phone, etc. are being built all the time. The Tibetans, though, never asked for it, and they were happy to live their old lives. Right now there is a railroad being built to connect Lhasa with China (a huge project that even the Swiss experts brought to assist in the tunnel digging said would be impossible - but the Chinese are working faster than their own schedule, and the line will be open next year). Everybody knows the train will do two things - bring more Han Chinese to Tibet for a demographic change, and carry all the natural resources out of Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, being a man of peace, is against any use of force as a part of the struggle for freedom. These days he doesn't even demand freedom anymore, just hoping for cultural autonomy in the region. The Dalai Lama is so powerful in the Tibetan world, that it is not allowed even to have a picture of him in Tibet.
Tourists who are caught giving away pictures of him are being sent out of China, and the locals getting the pictures suffer even more in jail. Many locals have a small picture of him hidden on a necklace that is covered under their cloths...
Well, that's enough about that, even though it really affects every step you take in Tibet...
Back to Lhasa itself...
The holiest temple in the Tibetan world in the Jokhang, in the heart of Lhasa (if you look hard enough you can find a picture of the Dalai Lama there, in the middle of Lhasa!). Around it there is a pilgrimage route that circles the temple. This is the place to be in Lhasa - crowded with monks and pilgrims, tourists and little shops, stupas, flags, and just about anything you can look for... I circles this kora (the general name for a circling route around something holy), called Barkhor, many times during my stay in Lhasa, finding something new each and every time.
Other than that temple there are many other temples and nunneries around town. The small alleys are beautiful, and I just walked around without a specific destination, with a constant smile on
A typical tourist
But hey! It's the Potala! my face. Visited many small temples, all looking pretty much the same, and enjoyed the special atmosphere.
In one nunnery, called Ani Sanghkhung, I saw many nuns praying. One of them invited me to sit with her and she started to read to me the prayer from the prayer book she had. She said a few words, and I repeated. She made sure I pronounce the words correctly. The other nuns found interest in the Lonely Planet book I had. Then they told me to hide the camera because one of the older nuns arrived, and she would ask for money if she saw that I am taking pictures in the nunnery. It was funny to see these grown up women acting like school kids...
I left the Potala for last, waiting for a clear day (yeah... for better pictures...). The main square in front of the Potala was used for the celebrations (the ones that prevented me from reaching Tibet in the first place). It was ironic to see it. No tourists were allowed near the celebrations - you can understand why by now.
There is a kora around the palace, full of prayer wheels and little shopping stalls
The main stage
The celebrations for the 40 year anniversary for the declaration of the Tibetan Autonomous Region were helf right in front of the Potala palace... selling anything from souvenirs to underwear (can you imagine somebody selling underwear in front of the West Wall or in front of the White House?). There were some nice views of the palace from behind and there weer many pilgrims (which goes without saying...).
The building itself is amazing, impressive, almost perfect. The location is majestic. High above the city, can be viewed from everywhere. Really suits a palace.
The rest of my time in Lhasa I mainly walked around the alleys and bought stuff... I spent all together too many days in Lhasa, because of many reasons.
Some interesting thing I discovered was that there is a big Muslim community in Lhasa. I always thought of Lhasa as a Tibetan Buddhist place, and didn't realize that there are more religions there... Always nice to discover surprises.
Until next time,
R.
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