Lhasa, Tibet – China

Lhasa, Tibet, China, stands 4300 meters above sea level, and it holds the center of Tibetan Buddhism worldwide: The Jokhang Temple. Here, you can walk through the private quarters of The Potala Palace, where the Dalai Lama himself was. You’ll be enchanted with the deep spirituality of the place. Once you visit Lhasa, you won’t ever forget the mix of fresh juniper incense, the smell of yak butter lamps, the chanting monks and the pilgrims walking around outside of the temple.

Activity/Place Highlights

The Jokhang Temple

The Tibet is surrounded by an atmosphere that is half ethereal and half medieval. Especially the small streets around the Jokhang temple. This temple was finished in AD 647 and it has gone under many restorations and expansions ever since.

You can find many district pilgrimage circuits around the Jokhang. For example, the Lingkhor, the outer one, that goes around the entire city. The Barkhor is a circular road and goes out of the temple. All day long pilgrims process in a constant torrent around the Barkhor, in clockwise manner.

Khambas people wearing red threads braided in their hair, blend with monks and Golak nomads. They walk while spinning prayer wheels or mumbling prayers. Besides, some prefer to have a walk and chat. However, others show their penitence by prostrating their bodies on the floor.

Yak Butter Lamps, Chanting Monks and Walking Pilgrims

In front of The Jokhang Temple, pilgrims burn offerings of juniper in two enormous braziers. Once you smell the strong fragrance of juniper, it will be engraved in your mind. And everytime you think of Lhasa, images and smells will come back to you. Nearby you’ll find a small market where you can buy anything that the pilgrims use for their devotions, from prayer wheels and yak butter, to fresh juniper and prayer flags.

Then, you’ll encounter two big prayer wheels on the main porch of the temple which is in constant motion thanks to the pilgrims. When you look at the patio in the front, there are pilgrims prostrating themselves over and over again.  

The Nangkhor route

Inside the temple, you’ll see an inner pilgrimage route: the Nangkhor. In detail, the pilgrims walk around the temple and try to spin each prayer wheel with their hand. They do this so they can release their prayers up to the sky. In the dark main hall of the temple, you can feel the heaviness of the air due to the yak butter lamps, and you can hear the chanting of monks giving a holy atmosphere. All of this will surely give you the goosebumps.

The Potala Palace

High above the city of Lhasa, and kind of isolated from the modern city, you find the Potala Palace, formerly the home of the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhism: the Dalai Lama. Now, rather than looking like home, it looks more like a museum.

How to get there

Tibet is very unstable politically and rules change a lot. You’ll need a special visa for Tibet and another one for China. You can get to Lhasa either by taking a tour or by plane, but always bear in mind the duration of your visa.