A: Monasteries are an integral part of Tibetan culture and a must for a tour of
Tibet.
The Potala Palace in Lhasa is the religious center of Tibet. This majestic
and magnificent building spans Mount Potala, and is the primary monastery of Tibet.
The Jokhang and Ramoqe monasteries in Lhasa were first constructed at the time
of the Tubo Kingdom. The Jokhang Monastery has a large collection of precious
cultural relics, the most famous being a gold statue of Sakyamuni, brought to
Tibet by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty when she married Songtsan Gampo,
the king of the Tubo Kingdom. The Sera is another famous monastery in Lhasa.
The Samyai Monastery, built in the 8th century, has historic significance. This
monastery comprises a cluster of unique buildings. It was built according to the
formation of the world as described in Buddhist scriptures, and has great architectural
value. The Gandain Monastery is the earliest of the six largest monasteries of
the Yellow Sect, and marks its founding on the basis of Tsongkhapa's religious
reform. The Drepung Monastery is the largest of the six Yellow Sect monasteries.
It has developed into a Buddhist seminary and trains large numbers of monks who
wish to enter the Tibetan Buddhism order. The Zhaxi Lhunbo Monastery in Xigaze
is also one of the six famous monasteries of the Yellow Sect. It has remained
the home temple of the Panchen Lama since the fourth Panchen.
Other famous
monasteries include the Sagya, Toling, Xalu, Baiqoi, Changzhug, Sading, Lhasa
Mosque and the remains of the Pabangka.
Other sites well worth visiting include
Yamzhog Yumoc Lake, the sacred Mapam Yumco Lake, the sacred Gangdise Mountain,
the city remains of the ancient Guge Kingdom, the Tibetan King Mausoleum, the
Karo remains of the Neolithic Age, Norbu Lingka (the former summer palace of the
Dalai Lama), and the Ngari Prefecure, which has been dubbed the "roof over
the roof of the world."
Besides sightseeing, Tibet also offers mountaineering,
river adventure tours, skiing, bicycling, trekking, horseback riding, boating,
hunting, and hot spring tours, and festival programs at the Lhasa Shoton Festival,
Qangtang Horse Race Art Festival and Shannan Yalong Cultural and Art Festival. |
