Visiting Potala Palace and Riding further into Tibet
Update 59 (May 2024)
Lhasa to Gyangzê Town, Tibet
After a morning visiting Jokhang Temple in Lhasa (link here), we went to Potala Palace in the afternoon.
Construction of Potala Palace was commenced by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1645 and became the winter residence for the Dalai Lama until 1959. It became a World Heritage site in 1994.
I believe ticket sales are still limited per day. We had paid our guide about a week ahead to secure our place.
Police security is very strict around the palace. We had two checkpoints where we had to show ID, there were quite a few police on foot, the usual high number of cameras and even a large drone observing the crowd at one point.
Walking through the old streets on the way to Potala Palace.
This man is completing the process of prostrating. He will now formally stand, continue a few steps and then repeat the exact process again. People will respect him and often give a donation.
Spinning prayer wheels.
Commencing the walk up to the palace. Lhasa is around 3,650 metres above sea level, so it is not too bad but you still need to pace yourself getting up the stairs to the top.
Now at the top courtyard, this photo is taken from the small square looking up to the Dalai Lama residence. You enter the stairs below and go can inside and see the different residence of the incarnations of the Dalai Lama.
Starting the walk down .
Looking out to Lhasa city from the palace.
Back on the road again and making our way to Gyangzê Town. I think this is Yamdrok Lake with Ninchin Kangsa (Noijin Kangsang) mountain in the background at 7206 metres.
Passing through a village with fairly typical housing.
It is common to see drying animal dung that has been formed into various shapes, ready to be burnt for heating and cooking. It seems to be the only local combustible resource available. There are no trees growing at this elevation.
More drying fire bricks on the walls.
This is the town of Gyangzê, 3,977 metres and a population around 11,000. I was very taken with the town, the first place I recall since Bolivia or regional Peru that was still retaining it’s strong cultural ties. The town had not been over run by outside fashion or consumption. No franchises, no fast fashion, no western music. Many stores were making what they sold. Men were playing shell games on the pavement in the evening. And everyone seemed to be a local, no obvious Chinese tourists. I think places like this are becoming rare as globalisation just merges everything.
Gyantse Dzong, constructed in 1390. The fortress has been blown up and then renovated following the British invasion in 1904 and the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1967. We did not visit the fortress but went to the Palcho Monastery below instead.
I have now been in quite a few temples and as it is not right to take photos I tend to get them a little confused. I think with this one, in the building to the right, there were about twenty monks seated in a large room going about their morning. Some praying, some reading, some eating. There were also different rooms with dedications to Buddha, including a very large gold Buddha.
We were freely able to visit this building. Note the Buddha eyes at the top.
Two rooms had very detailed sand art.