THE YARLUNG VALLEY
Ganden Monastery:
Tsong Khapa founded this Monastery, the first Gelukpa Monastery, in 1490 on one of the most spectacular sites in Tibet, about40 km east of Lhasa near Dagze. Work has begun to restore the damage wreaked by the Chinese Cultural Revolution. So, extensive is the damage, one might easily think Ganden had been subjected to saturation aerial bombardment. The four main temples now house about 200 monks, who were the remnants of a population that once exceeded 4000. The views from Ganden, down into the Kyichu valley and across to the distant snowcaps, are quite exceptional.
Chanzhusi Monastery:
This Monastery is about five km south of Tsedang. It was founded during the reign of Songtsen Gampo. According to legend, many years ago this area was a vast expanse of water, inhabited by a deadly Dragon. Songten Gampo decided to reclaim the land beneath the water, in order to establish a city. He enlisted the help of two magicians, who asked a roc (a mythical bird) to slay the dragon. The roc then beat the Dragon over the head with its wings and killed it. Seven days later the waters dried up and a grateful Songtsen Gampo built the Monastery.
In the 14th and 18th centuries the Monastery was enlarged. At present all the buildings are under repair. The main temple, three storey high, has a large sutra Chanting Hall in the centre of the ground floor. A small temple at the rare of the walled compound has some interesting Thangkas.
The Tombs of the Tibetan Kings:
The Tibetans didn’t give their Kings a sky burial but choose interment in tombs instead. Experts differ in their explanations; some believe this was due to cultural influence of the Tang Dynasty in China, others consider this was a result of Buddhist influence. Both of these explanations have been determined by an archeological survey of Tibet, started in 1984, which has discovered over 1000 graves in 20 groups near Nedong. Since these graves belong to a Neolithic culture, which flourished over 3000 years ago, it appears that burial in the ground was a common practice long before the Tibetan Kings were interred in tombs.
TSEDANG
Yumbu Lagang:
Yumbu Lagang, situated in Nedong country of Lhoka prefecture, Yumbu Langang, built in the second century B. C. is the first palace in Tibetan history. The palace faces west and stands high on top of a hill. Statues of the Three Periods of Buddha, the Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo, Lha Tho – Tho – Ri Nyantsen, Tri Ralpachen, Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen are all enshrined in the palace.
Tradduk Temple:
The Tradduk Temple, located in Nedong. It was established by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century and belongs to the Gelugpa Sect (Order of Excellence). The main attraction of this temple is the Assembly Hall. The images enshrined here are all bronze and the corridors are covered with murals.
SAMYE
Samye Monastery:
The Samye Monastery is the first Monastery ever built in Tibet. It was founded by the Tibetan King Trisiong Detsen and belongs to the Nyingmapa and Sakyapa sects. The architecture consists of three distinct styles, namely, the Han, the Tibetan and the Indian. The monastery was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt three hundred years later to serve as the residence of the 6th Dalai Lama.
TUMULI OF THE ANCIENT KINGS
Situated in Chongye, Lhoka, the Tumuli are a group of tombs containing the kings of the Tubo Kingdom. They are massive knolls of earth with flat tops like platforms. There are eight tombs that can be seen including the tombs of King Songtsen Gampo, Tride Tsukten and Trissong Detsen.
NAGARJE
Nagarje is a settlement on the shores of Yamdrok Lake. This freshwater lake, unlike other Tibetan lakes, is sweet and non-saline. It is 624 sq. km. in area and is shaped with like the two pincers of a large scorpion. During the summer, it is turquoise green in colour, but during the winter it has thick crust of ice. It is abundant in fish and has a large migratory bird population.
Yamdruk Tso (The Turquoise Lake):
Yamdok Tso, one of the three largest lakes of Tibet, lies about a hundred kilometer to the southwest of Lhasa. The surface of the lake, with its fathomless depth, covers some six hundred square kilometers. In the middle of the lake, ten or so hilly islands stand independently one from the other providing homes to flocks of wild ducks. Fish are also plentiful.
GYANTSE (3950 m.) AND THE CHUMBI VALLEY
A small agricultural town famous for its wool carpets and the Palkor Choide Chorten, Gyantse lies between a Monastery and a fort. This unique structure, built in 1414, consists of five stories representing the five steps to enlightenment, and is topped by thirteen rings which symbolize the stages of advancement towards Buddha hood. There are 108 halls inside, all containing Indian frescoes and Buddhist Shrines. Before 1959, traders coming from Kalimpong and Gangtok in India would enter Tibet through Yadong traveling on to Gyantse, en route to Lhasa.
Palchor Choide Monastery:
Is located in Gyantse and founded in 1418 jointly by Kedup Je of the Gelugpa Sect and Rabten Kunsang of the Sakyapa Sect, the Palchor Monastery has a special influence over Tibet’s Buddhism owing to its unification of three different sects, the Gelukpa, the Sakyapa and Bhuton Sects all worshiped in this Monastery. The famous Kumbum pagoda stands nine story's high and has108 doors and 77 chapels. It contains clay sculptures and various murals. The pagoda is said to have 100,000 images, either sculpted or painted, this is the reason for its name the "100,000 Image Pagoda".
Pangmo Chorten:
The main site of Gyantse is an immense Chorten, or Kumbum (outsized chorten, or pagoda of 100,000 images). It was built by Rapten Kunsang Phapa (1389 – 1442). Chortens are receptacles of worship, similar to the stupas of India, with many sacred objects within: statues, books, frescoes and items of gold and silver. The Gyantse chorten is a deluxe model, and is quite innovative in its architecture, it has about 70 interlocking chapels that you see as you spiral your way up to the golden plume at the top. Each chapel is richly, often grotesquely, decorated with thousands of frescoes, statues and artifacts and lined with Buddhist texts inscribed in Sanskrit.
In aerial perspective, the chorten is supposedly shaped like a Mandala, the embodiment of the Lamaist universe. Pilgrims circumambulate this giant wedding-cake, the inner spiraling circuit of the chorten is a meditational aid to enlightenment with the top canopied section representing the highest plane wisdom. As you wind your dizzy way to the top, you begin to appreciate this principle.
The Fort (Gyantse Dzong):
The thick walls and the building-shells of this fort are much better preserved than other forts around Tibet, but it is very difficult to get to see this 500- years- old colossus. You have to somehow try and get hold of a key from a white house at the base, toward the south-eastern side. Ingeniously for times of siege, the fort had its own well dug within the walls. It is not known if they are still in place.
Shalu Monastery:
The Shalu Monastery, located within the Salu village, was built in the year 1000 by Jetsun Sherab Jungne. The architecture of the monastery resembles a Chinese Yuan Dynasty temple. It is a rare and unique work of art, combining features of both the Tibetan and Han dynasties. The monastery holds various relics such and religious objects with Buddhist scriptures written on "pattra" leaves, and the sacred decree of Pagpa, A Sakya Abbot.
SHIGATSE (3900 m.)
Most famous for its Tashilhunpo Monastery built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, Shigatse is the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of Endless Enlightenment. Items of interest inside this monastery are: the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya, and a mind-boggling collection of Thankas, frescoes and statues. There is a bustling ‘free’ market at the foot of the ruins of the Shigatse Fortress where one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral and turquoise, Tibetan daggers, Chinese porcelain and yak butter.
It is situated between 29o 02’N and 88o 08’E in the southwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region, where the Nyangchu River joins the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Shigatse is the second biggest town in Tibet and acts as the center of transportation and distribution of agriculture and husbandry products from the southeastern part of Tibet. "Shigatse" in Tibetan means the "Estate that fulfills one’s Wishes."
Tashilhunpo Monastery:
Tashilhunpo Monastery is the biggest Gelugpa Monastery in the Tsang region of Tibet. It is located in the town of Shigatse and was founded by Gedun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelungpa Sect. Gedun Drup is recognized as the first Dalai Lama. It was first built in 1447 and continuously expanded by the successive Panchen Lamas. The Ngagpa College (Tantric College), one of its four monastic colleges, is the residence of the Panchen lamas. The most amazing image in this monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914. It took four years to build this monumental statue, which stands twenty six meters high and is composed of 275 kg. of solid gold, and a great quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoise, coral and amber. The 4th Panchen Lama’s funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it stands eleven meters high and is covered in solid gold and silver.
LHATSE (3950 M.)
Lhatse is situated where a main Tibetan road turns westwards towards Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar Lake. During the short summer season, the whole valley is covered with green barely fields and bright yellow mustard meadows. It is a welcome change after the barren lands of the Tibetan plateau. There is also a small, hot spring located a few kilometers away.
SAKYA
Sakya (Sag’ya, ‘Grey Earth’), off the main Shigatse to Tingri route, was once the base of the Sakyapa Sect (Red Hats), which rose to power in the 13th century. The sect has numerous followers in Tibet, so Sakya is naturally the object of their pilgrimage.
Sakya Monastery:
Located in Sakya, the Monastery stands in two parts on either side of Dongchu River. This Monastery is the centre of the Sakyapa Sect (White Earth Order). The northern part of the monastery was built in the year 1079 and the southern founded in 1268 by a famous Abbot of Sakya, Pagpa, who once ruled the whole of Tibet during the Yuan Dynasty. The State Council has classified it as national protected monument, owing to its valuable number of Buddhist sutras and cultural remains.
XEGAR (4350 m.)
A new Chinese commune built at the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong, 7 km. from the main road. With a population of 3000, it is the centre of this large and remote area and a base from which expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks are launched.
GUTSUO
Gutsuo is a military base camp situated at the base of the plateau. After passing through the Nyalam Thong-La or Lablunga-La pass (16400 ft.), panoramic views of the northern face of the Himalayan range can be seen including the best view of Mt. Everest and its neighboring peaks. Accommodation here is in tented camps or at the barracks.
NYALAM (3750 m.)
Known as ‘Kuti’ to Nepalese traders, Nyalam used to be an important trade centre. Nowadays, barrack style Chinese communes surround the typical old flat roofed, mud-brick houses. Although vegetation is sparse, one can see an abundance of alpine fauna on the hillside during the summer months.
ZHANG-MU (KHASA)
Better known by its Tibetan name, Khasa, Zhangmu is a small settlement clinging to a hillside 10 km from the Friendship Bridge that crosses the Bhotekoshi river. Since the closure of the China/India border from Gangtok, Zhangmu has become the major trading point between Tibet and Nepal. The climate is quite different from the hinterland. The hills around Zhangmu are heavily wooded with many waterfalls in summer and impressive ice formations in winter. It has a bank, a post office, a government store, and is presently undergoing a construction boom to meet the demands of trade and tourism.
THE KARO RUINS
Located 12 km away to the southeast of Chamdo town, Karo is at an altitude of 3200 meters above sea level, Karo ruins date back four to five thousand years and belong to the Neolithic Age. These ruins contain simple living structures, stone paved roads, stone walls and cave dwellings. Also many different kinds of chipped stone implements have been discovered. The discovery of the Karo ruins provided new material for the study of migration and exchange between peoples of northwest and southwest of the region in the Neolithic Age.
THE RUINS OF THE GUGE KINGDOMS
Situated in the Tsada region of Ngari the Guge Kingdom was originally built in the 10th Century. According to historical records some sixteen hereditary kings have reigned here.
The extensive Guge kingdom ruins are found on a hillside around 300 meter high. The ruins cover an area of 180,000 square meters, and include five magnificent temples and palaces, more than 300 chapels, 300 caves, and 3 stupas each of which are around 10 meters in height. The temples contain many lively murals and clay sculptures.
TERRESTRIAL HEAT IN TIBET
The northern grasslands, called "Changthang" in Tibet, have an extremely cold climate. Eight or nine months a year, the whole region is frozen except for the occasional hot springs. The regions terrestrial heat spots are found in Yangpachen, eighty-seven kilometers to the northwest of Lhasa, they cover some forty km. Steam and hot geezers shoot up from the ground to over one hundred meters.
THE HIMALAYAS
The mighty Himalayas, like a silver screen, zigzag along Tibet’s southern horizon. It possesses eleven peaks over 8000 meters, among which five lie along the Sino-Nepalese border, Mt. Everest (8848 m.), the world’s highest peak, Mt. Lhotse (8516 m.), Mt. Makalu (8463 m.), Mt. Cho-Oyu (8201 m.), Mt. Shisha Pangma (8012 m.). There are some thirty peaks over 7000 m. and many more above 6000 m. The landscape on the northern side of the Himalayas contains the world’s highest glaciers.
QOMOLANGMA
Qomolangma, meaning " Goddess" in Tibetan, is the highest mountain on earth with an altitude of 8848m. Mount Qomolangma, known to the western world as Mt. Everest, stands south of Tingri in southern Tibet, on the border between China and Nepal. The optimum time to visit Mount Qomolangma is from April to June, a golden period for mountaineers.
