Places to see in Tibet

POTALA PALACE
The Potala is considered one of the wonders of the world. It is held sacred by Tibetans as the former residence of successive Dalai Lamas, and is one of Tibet's most holy pilgrimage sites. A palace was originally built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo, and was believed to have been nine stories high, but around the 9th century it is believed to have been destroyed by a big fire. The present Potala Palace was constructed by the great fifth Dalai Lama in the 17th century after he became ruler of Tibet.

The Potala Palace is divided into two sections, the White Palace (completed in 1653) and Red palace (completed 1694). It has more than one thousand rooms and is thirteen stories high. The White Palace was secular in nature and mainly used for government administration, whilst the Red palace was mainly used for religious functions and still has numerous chapels, including those containing reliquary stupas of the successive Dalai Lamas which are richly decorated in gold, silver and semi-precious stones.

LHASA
The holy city of Lhasa is the historical capital of Tibet and dates back to the 7th century, when King Songtsen Gampo moved his capital from the Yarlung valley to Lhasa after unifying Tibet. Lhasa city is located on the north bank of Kyichu river and is the cultural centre of Tibet.

NAMTSO LAKE
Namtso lake at 4,700 mts is one of the biggest lakes in Tibet and is 70Km long and 30Km wide. The landscape is dominated by the snow peak of Nyenchen Thangla to the south west of the lake. Tashi Do hermitage stands on a promontary with more than 50 small caves including some small chapels. Pilgrims do a half hour walk (kora) around Tashi Do hermitage.

MOUNT KAILASH
Mount Kailash is located in Western Tibet, at an altitude of 6714 mts above sea level. It is the most sacred mountain for both Hindus and Buddhists. It is the abode of Samvara, or Demchok in Tibetan, the wrathful meditational deity who is the Buddhist tantric aspect of great compassion.

For Tibetan Bon followers, whose custom it is to circumambulate anti-clockwise, it is the abode of Lord Tonpa Shenrab. For Hindus, it is the abode of Shiva, the destroyer of evil. Jains also hold Mount Kailash sacred .

UTSANG
Utsang is the cultural heart of Tibet which occupies the upper reaches of the Bharmaputra valley, It has some of Tibet's biggest farming lands and agricultural communities, as well as monasteries and temples of historic importance.

Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet lies on the Kyichu river. Gyangtse and Shigatse are on the Nyangchu river, Tsetang on the Yarlung river and Kongpo on the Gyamda Nyangchu river. The high land of Utsang is bordered by the great Himalayan range including Mt Everest, to the south, all the way to Nyingtri, in the forested eastern region of Tibet.

NGARI
The far west of Tibet is called Ngari and is the least populated part of Tibet. It comprises the great Changthang plateau as well as sacred Mount Kailash, 6714 mts, Rakas and Mansarovar lakes, Tholing monastery, and the ruins of the Guge Kingdom, Dungkar Peyang etc.

KHAM
Kham, the easternmost region of Tibet is more densely populated than the central plateau. The inhabitants are different from other Tibetans, not only in their colourful attire and striking physiques, but also in dialect and custom. The Kham region is rugged and densely forested in places with many gorges, snow capped mountains, numerous lakes as well as vast grasslands. Sights include Keldan Jampaling monastery in Chamdo, Derge Printing house, Ganze monastery etc

AMDO
Amdo, the northeast of Tibet is the lowest region of Tibet in elevation, yet it is mostly plateau with huge, spacious grasslands, nomads, lakes, and snow capped mountains. The inhabitants of the Amdo region closely resemble the Khampa. Amdo is the birthplace of many famous Tibetan scholars such as Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa yellow hat sect, Gedun Choepal, a famous writer and scholar, the fourteenth Dalai lama, (Nobel peace prize winner in 1989), the late 10th Panchen Lama etc. The monasteries of Labrang Tashi Kyil, Kubum monastery etc. lie in Amdo