| Home Tibet Tours Kahm Amdo Tour West China Tours E-mail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tibet Tours
China Tours
|
Highlights of Tibet
Samye, in the middle of the sandy Samye valley and approached via a beautiful river crossing, is deservedly the most popular destination for tourists and has a magic about it that makes many travelers stay longer than they had intended. The monastery is Tibet's very first monastery and has a history that spans over 1200 years. It was founded in the reign of 83km King Trisong Detsen, though the exact date is unknown and subject to some debate-probably between 765 and 780. Whatever the case, Samye represents the Tibetan state's first efforts efforts to allow the Buddhist faith to set down roots in the country. This fine tapering finger of a structure that sprouts from a craggy ridge overlooking the patchwork fields of the Yarlung valley is reputed to be the oldest building in Tibet. This is a remarkably impressive sight and should not be missed. The monastery is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, having been founded at the same time as the Jokhang in Lhasa. Dating back to the 7th century reign of Songtsen Gampo, it is one of the "Demoness Subduing" temples of Tibet. King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife, Princess Wencheng, divined the presence of a subterranean demoness down, it was felt, could the Buddhist faith take root in the high plateau. The monastery has undergone numerous enlargements and reconstructions over the centuries. It was significantly enlarged in pices of the 5th and 7th Dalai Lamas. The monastery is a significant stop for Tibetan pilgrims, and the monks genuinely glad to welcome foreign visitors and show them around. It is really a lively place and well worth a brief visit en route to Yumbulagang. On the old road between Gyantse and Lhasa, the dazzling Yamdrok-tso (4488 m) can be seen from the summit of the Kamba-la pass (4794 m). The lake lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. The lake is a coiling, many-armed body of water that doubles back on itself like a scorpion at its south-west extent, effectively creating a large island within its reaches. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet, and the home of wrathful deities. Leaving the lake is as spectacular as arriving, since you have to cross the 5045 m Karo-la, with its awesome roadside views of the Nojin Kangtsang Glacier. It was here that Colonel Younghusband's British troops clashed with Tibetan forces en route to Lhasa in what is though to be geographically the highest battle in British history. Founded in 1418, Pelkor was once a multidenominational complex of monasteries. The monastery is a dark, gloomy place and if you want a good look at the various murals and thangkas it is a good idea tobring a torch. Tashilunpo is associated with the Gelugpa order and is one of the six great Gelugpa institutions along with Drepung, Sera and Ganden in Lhasa and Kumbum and Labrang in Amdo. It is probably the largest functioning monastic institution in contemporary Tibet and ia an impressive place to explore. The monastery was founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa, Genden Drup. Genden Drup was retroactively named the first Dalai Lama and he is enshrined in Tashilhunpo. Despite its association with the first Dalai Lama, Tashilhunpo was initially isolated from the mainstream of Gelugpa affairs, which were centred in the Lhasa region. The monastery's standing rocketed, however, when the fifth Dalai Lama declared his teacher-then abbot of Tashilhunpo-to be a manifeststion of Amitabha. Thus Tashilhunpo became the seat of an important lineage line: the Panchen Lamas. The title Panchen means "great scholar" and was the title traditionally bestowed on abbots of Tashihunpo. But with the establishment of the Panchen Lama lineage of spiritual and temporal leaders-second only to the Dalai Lamas themselves-the spectre of possible rivalry was introduced into the Gelugpa order. Naturally it did not take long to emerge. The next Panchen Lama was declared ruler of Tsang and Western Tibet by the Qing Dynasty in China. The monastic town of Sakya (4280 m) is one of Tsang's most important historucal sights and, even more than Gyantse, is very Tibetan in character. Sakya's principal attractions are its northern and southern monasteries on either side of the Trum Chu. Thefortress-like southern monastery is of most interest. One characteristic feature of the Sakya region is the colouring of the buildings ash grey with white and red vertical stripes. Sakya itself literally means "pale earth". The immense, thick-walled southern monastery is Sakya's main attraction. And for good views of the monastery, climb up into the northern hills on the other side of the river. This section is aimed at the majority of travellers who visit Everest as part of a Land Cruiser trip. From Rongphu Monastery and the Everest Base Camp that good views and the true grandeur of Everest's sheer north face becomes apparent. The Tibetan name for Everest is generally rendered as Qomolangma. The Base Camp has become the most popular trekking destination in Tibet and is an increasingly popular itinerary on a Land Cruiser trip to the border. If coming by land cruiser you don't need much more than some food and warm clothes, however you will be safest to bring some emergency food with you. Jampaling Monastery is similar with other major Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries, with the well-reserved statues, frescos and Tangkas. The monastery is famous for its religious dance named Guqing which is performed in every Tibetan New Year. Dancers perform in splendid costumes with gruesome masks, all movements in harmony. The Mt. Kailash is the apex of the Hindu religion. It is a mountain of Lord Shiva. It is also holy peak for Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the highest mountain in western Tibet at 22,022 feet. The lake Mansarovar is at the base of Mt. Kailash at 14,950 feet. Lake Mansarovar the highest fresh water lake in the world is also a very sacred lake. A bath (dip) in holy Mansarovar and Parikrama around Mt. Kailash is a lifetime pilgrimage of a Hindu. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
