LHASA CITY TOUR

Day 1:

Arrive Lhasa from Kathmandu/Beijing/Chengdu/Xining or any other city .

Day 2-3:

Two full day sightseeing tour in Lhasa - Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Bazaar, Potala Palace , Drepung & Sera Monasteries .

Jokhang Temple: The Jokhang or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang), is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. It was built during the reign of King Songsten Gampo (605?-650 CE) to celebrate his marriage with Chinese Tang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who was a Buddhist. During the Bon period of Tibet the temple was (and sometimes still is), called the 'Tsuklakang' (Tsulag Khang) — 'House of Religious Science' or 'House of Wisdom.' The term tsuklak refers to the 'sciences' such as geomancy, astrology, and divination which formed part of the pre-Buddhist shamanistic religion now referred to as Bon.[2] It is more commonly known today as the Jokhang, which means the 'House of the Buddha'.For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug School. Along with the Potala Palace, it is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Lhasa. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual centre of Lhasa.

Barkhor Street: Barkor Street, which has a history of over 1,000 years, surrounds the Jokhang Temple. It was originally an important route for Tibetan Buddhists to walk clockwise around to show their devotion. This religious behavior is called 'Barkor' in Tibetan Language. As one of the most bustling sections in Lhasa nowadays, Barkor Street features in sale of various kinds of handicrafts and living necessities from local areas, India and Nepal. In addition, it has also become one of the tourism attractions for visitors from at home and abroad because of its unique historical, cultural, religious, ethnic and commercial characteristics. Everyday, a large number of pilgrims walk clockwise around while turning their prayer wheels, lamas roam around, backpackers pass by, and tourists enjoy a moment of tranquility in bars around Barkor Street.

Potala Palace: Scared Potala Palace is percehed upon the Ri Marpo (Red Hill) 130meters above above Lhasa valley. Potala Palace itself rises 170 meters further making it the highest monumental in Tibet. Marpo Ri has legends that its rocky hill is scared cave was dwelling place of Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avalokitesvara), later used as Meditation cave of Emperor Songtsen Gampo. In 637 AD Songtsen Gompo built a palace on this hill and this structure stood untill 17th century. The construction of present palace was built in the reign of The 5th Dalai Lama in 1645. Potrang Karpo and Potrang Marpo was completed on 1648.

Drepung Monastery: It was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge Tashi Palden (1397-1449), one of Tsongkhapa's main disciples, and it was named after the sacred abode in South India of Shridhanyakataka. Drepang was the principal seat of the Gelugpa school until the Great Fifth Dalai Lama constructed the Potala and it retained the premier place amongst the four great Gelugpa monasteries. Drepung was known for the high standards of its academic study, and was called the Nalanda of Tibet, a reference to the great Buddhist monastic university of India. In the late 1930s Drepung was divided into four colleges, each housing monks from a different locality: "one being favoured by Khampas, another by Mongolians, and so on." Each college was presided over by an abbot who had been appointed by the late 13th Dalai Lama.

Sera Monastery: Sera was founded in 1419, by Jamchen Chojey (Sakya Yeshe), a disciple of Tsong Khapa.Like the Drepung and Ganden monasteries, it had several colleges: Sera Mey Dratsang, built in 1419, gave basic instruction to the monks. Sera Jey Dratsang, built in 1435, was the largest, and was reserved for wandering monks, especially Mongol monks. Ngagpa Dratsang, built in 1559, was a school for the teaching of the Gelukpa tantras. Sera housed more than 5,000 monks in 1959. Although badly damaged following the invasion of Tibet and the Cultural Revolution, it is still standing and has been largely repaired. In 2008, it housed 550 Buddhist monks, but the number dropped till date.

Day 4:

Departure