Transcript Document
TIBET Tibet, the remote and mainly, Buddhist territory known as the “Roof of the World”. A land of ancient Buddhist culture, awesome landscapes, artistic monasteries and centuries-old caravan trails; Tibet is a destination out of the ordinary. With an average altitude of above 4,000 meters, Tibet Autonomous Region has very complex topography and falls into three geographic parts: the west, the south and the east. The western part, known as the North-Tibet Plateau, lies between Kunlun Mountain and Kangdese Mountain, and Tonglha Mountain and Nyainqentanglha Mountain. This west accounts for two thirds of the total area of Tibet. The southern part of Tibet consists of valleys and lies between the Kangdese Mountains and the Himalayas. The eastern part is mainly made up of canyons and is marked by a gradual decline in altitude intercepted by small ranges called the Henduan. Place to see in Tibet Lhasa (3650 m) Lhasa has always remained the cultural, political and economic centre of Tibet. It is the heart and soul of Tibet, the abode of the Dalai Lamas and an object of devout pilgrimage. The places of interest in Lhasa include the Potala palace, Norbulinka palace, Jokhang temple, Sera and Drepung monasteries etc. Potala Palace Potala dominates the Lhasa skyline from every corner. Originally there were buildings from 640 AD but the present Potala palace was built in 17th century by the fifth Dalai Lama. It has served as the residence of the Dalai Lamas .It is 117 m high, 13 storied and has 1000 rooms. Different sections of the palace houses a great wealth of cultural and art objects of Tibet. Jokhang temple and Bharkhor bazzar About 2 km east of Potala and built in 647 AD , Jokhang is the holiest and the most active of the Buddhist temples in Tibet.Jokhang was built by the greatest of the Tibetan King Shrong Tsong Gompo to house the Buddha image brought from Nepal by his Nepalese wife Bhrikuti .Equally interesting is the Bharkhor bazzar that cirles Jokhang. Norbulinka Palace Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, lies in a quiet and beautiful garden in the west part of Lhasa . The well preserved murals, superb mandalas and frescoes are fascinating sights not to miss. Drepung Monastery About 8 km to the west of central Lhasa , Drepung was once Tibet's largest monastery , with a population of around 10,000 monks. Built in 1416 this is one of the important Gelukpa monasteries .It houses different colleges for the study of buddhist philosophy and the interesting sight is to see is the debating monks. Sera Monastery Though not as big as Drepung it is another big and important Gelukpa monastery in Lhasa which has served as " university monastery " . It is about five km north of central Lhasa. Built in 1419 it was the home for 5000 monks in the days of its highest glory, though the number now is reduced to few hundreds. Shigatse (3900m) Shigatse is the second largest city in Lhasa.It has long been an important trading town and administrative centre and the traditional capital of Tsang province .Mostly interesting here for tourists is the famous Tashilhunpo monastery and the traditional market. Gyantse (3950m) Situated 254 km south-west of Lhasa, Gyantse is the least Chinese influenced towns in Tibet. Here, we’ll visit the Gyantse Dzong and Gyantse Kumbum. The Dzong is a fort dating back to the 14th century and the views of both Gyantse itself and the surrounding Nyang Chu Valley. Namtso Lake Situated at an altitude of 4720m Namtso lake is a popular tourist destination in Tibet. It is a heavenly lake as one finds described in story books. The water is blue and crystal clear. In the skyline are beautiful white mountains. The surrounding plain is dotted with yak herds and nomad camps making the scenery more intoxicating. This is the biggest lake in Tibet and highest salt water lake in the world.