Lhasa

2004-10-27

Lhasa itself is a rich museum featuring ancient ruins, ancient architecture, ancient monasteries, ancient stone tablets and ancient gardens. The city boasts over 100 scenic spots altogether. These aspects combine to make Lhasa a great attraction in the world.

Qoigung Ruins

In October 1983, Tibetan archaeologists unearthed artifacts at Qoigung Village in the Nyangri Gully, north of Lhasa. These artifacts revealed aspects of civilization in Lhasa from 4,000 years ago and earlier. They were found in ash pits and tombs that contained stone coffins with bodies with folded limbs. More than 10,000 kinds of objects and a large number of animal bones were found. Objects included stone knives, stone axes, stone shovels, grinding stones, bone awls, bone needles; and bone arrow heads were also found. One of the bone needles had an eye as if for thread, resembling the sewing needles we use today. Large quantities of hand-made pottery were also uncovered in the ruins. Gray, polished black or brown in color, they display sawtooth- and string-like patterns, as well as carved patterns formed with awls. These artifacts provide evidence that there were people living in areas around Lhasa more than 4,000 years ago, and that they lived on farming, livestock breeding, hunting and gathering. Fishing net pendulums and fish bones uncovered in the ruins reveal that Lhasa River then teemed with fish, and that the locals had a habit of eating fish.

The Qoigung ruins cover an area of 5,000 square meters, only a part of which have been unearthed. More artifacts are expected to be found.

From the Red Hill Village to the Potala Palace

The majestic Potala Palace with its glistening roofs is the pinnacle of the labor and wisdom of the Tibetan race. It is a wonder in the history of Oriental architecture, and the pride of the lands of snow. It is symbol of the ancient city of Lhasa, and also a spot unique to Tibet.

The Potala Palace was built by Tubo King Songtsan Gambo in the 7th century. It underwent renovation during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama Ngawang Lhosang Gyamco in the 17th century. However, the Potala Palace didn't undergo a thorough repair until the 1980s. Standing atop the Red Hill, the Potala Palace was built along the slope of the hill. It extends 360 meters from east to west and 140 meters from south to north. Rising 13 stories, the palace is 115.7 meters tall. Palace walls were erected with granite slabs, the thickest part measuring five meters.

The Potala Palace is made up by the White and Red Palaces, with the Red Palace in the center flanked on both sides by the White Palace. The Red Palace houses Buddha halls and stupas for the remains of the successive generations of the Dalai Lama. The White Palace, built entirely of granite slabs, is where the Dalai Lamas of various generations live and handle government and Buddhist affairs. Its western wing contains dorms for monks. When visitors reach the Potala Palace from the south, they will arrive at the giant City Gate and Shoi Village, which holds many ancient buildings down a zigzagging stone path leading to the Puncog Duinam Gate. Upon going through the gate, they will reach the Deyang Hall Square, where various generations of the Dalai Lama, senior monks and lay officials watched Tibetan opera, singers and dance performances. East of the square is Zelhazha, the site of the old monk official school, and west of the square is the gate to the White House. Many priceless frescoes hang on the walls of the entrance hall, some depicting the construction of the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Monastery in the 7th century, and others illustrating the story of Tubo Minister Gar Tongtsan going to Chang'an (present-day Xi'an and capital of the Tang Dynasty) to greet Tang Princess Wencheng upon her arrival in Lhasa, where she married Tubo King Songtsan Gambo.

Coqenxag, the Eastern Hall, is where many generations of Dalai Lamas came to power and were enthroned upon reaching the stipulated age of 18. A horizontal board reading "Promoting Buddhism in Defense of the Border," written by Qing Dynasty Emperor Tongzhi, hangs above the entrance. The top floor contains two living chambers. As they enjoy sunshine all day long, the chambers are called the West Sunshine Hall (also called Nyiwei Soinam Legyi, which used to be the living chambers for the 13th Dalai Lama) and the East Sunshine Hall (also called Gaindain Namse, which used to be the living chambers for the 14th Dalai Lama). Major buildings of the Red Palace include the Hall for the Holy Stupas. The largest of the holy stupas is for the 5th Dalai Lama. Called Choiling Gyamgyia, "a grand building in the world," the stupa is 14.85 meters tall. Its base and body are wrapped in 110,000 taels of gold and inlaid with 1,500 gems. The Red Palace also holds a Western Hall. Also called Sishi Puncog, the Western Hall houses the stupa for the 5th Dalai Lama and its interior is a world of frescos telling stories of his life. One section depicts the 5th Dalai Lama paying homage to Qing Dynasty Emperor Shunzhi in Beijing in 1652. Galleries on each floor of the Red Palace contain many frescoes. The gallery on the second floor contains even more frescoes, including one which tells of the first construction of the Potala Palace through the commissioning of the Red Palace and the holding of the Lessor Grand Summons Ceremony. The highest point of the Red Palace is the Hall of Deterrence to the Three Worlds, or the Sasum Namgyal Hall. This hall enshrines the portrait of Emperor Qianlong and an imperial longevity tablet written in the four languages of Han, Tibetan, Mongolian and Manchurian.

Between the Red and White Palaces is Qoigyi Zhapu, or the Cave for the Prince of Dharma. Legend has it that this was the place Tubo King Songtsan Gambo and his wives Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng and Nepalese Princess Bhributi practiced Buddhism. The statues of Songtsan Gambo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Bhributi, Mangsa Trijang, and Tubo Ministers Tome Sangbozha and Gar Tongtsan are enshrined inside the cave. Pagpa Lhakhang, the Hall of the Goddess of Mercy, which was built much earlier than other halls in the palace, is located at the top of Qoigyi Zhapu. Above the entrance is a panel with an inscription reading "Blissful Soil Nourishing Miraculous Fruits," also written by Qing Emperor Tongzhi.

On the top of the Potala Palace are seven of what we call Golden Tops, glistening in the sunshine. They follow Tibetan and Han architectural styles, and make the Potala Palace majestic and holy. Inside the palace are preserved numerous Buddhist scriptures, tangka painting scrolls, statues of Buddha, sculptures, brocades and silks produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), chinaware, gold and silver wares, golden sheets of appointment and golden seals of authority, which emperors of feudal Chinese rulers granted to Dalai Lamas of various generations, as well as a golden urn called Jinbenbaping, which Qing Emperor Qianlong had cast in his 57th year of reign (1792) for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni. When one of the two Living Buddhas has demised, his soul boy would be determined by drawing a lot from the golden urn.

Pharla Lhufo Grotto Monastery

Perched at the eastern slope of the Yaowangshan Mountain in Lhasa, Pharla Lhufo was carved during Songtsan Gambo's reign in the 7th century, according to a Tibetan history book. Legend has it that Songtsan Gambo's concubine Moya Yuyungsa had a statue of a heavenly god carved in a grotto at the Pharla Lhufo Mountain. Artists involved with the work were paid in salt, the amount of salt paid equivalent to the amount of stone dust created by the carving. When the stone statue was created, she had a stone corridor created for her to take ritual walks in the grotto. Though the grotto monastery has been in existence for more than 1,000 years, it is still well preserved for Buddhist activities.

The grotto is in the shape of a rectangle and covers an area of 27 square meters. It has a central pillar at the entrance to support the top. Between the central pillar and the stone wall is the corridor for taking ritual walks. The corridor is flanked by carved statues of deities and legendary heroes, including Tubo King Songtsan Gambo, Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng, Nepalese Princess Bhributi, and Tubo Ministers Tome Sangbozha and Gar Tongtsan. Flickering butter lamps in the cave add mystery to the environment.

Pabangka Castle Standing on a Turtle-Shaped Rock

Legend has it that when Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng first came to Lhasa, she calculated that Lhasa had superior geographical conditions, with a white dragon in the east, a green tiger in the south, a rose finch in the west and a holy turtle in the north. After hearing her calculations, Tubo King Songtsan Gambo conducted a survey of the northern suburbs of Lhasa himself, and actually found a giant rock resembling a reclining turtle in the Nyangri Gully. As a result, a castle five-stories high was erected on the giant rock and named Giant Rock Castle, or Pabangka in Tibetan. Legend has it that the castle rose nine stories high, had stone walls cemented together with smelted iron, and was bound tightly to the rock with iron chains.

The Six Syllable Prayer Words, written by Tubo Minister Tome Sangbozha, were carved on the giant rock. Legend has it that when the Tubo minister returned from his studies in South Asia, King Songtsan Gambo arranged for him to create the Tibetan script, and then studied the script from the minister, who was appointed "the standardization tutor."

The rock castle was damaged when Lang Darma suppressed Buddhism in Tubo in the mid-9th century. In the 11th century, however, Pangdowa and Zhadowa, two monks from the Gardain Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, built a two-story monastery called Pabangka on the ruins to facilitate their practicing of Buddhism. Because of its long history and significance in Buddhist study, the small monastery is now so famous that Dalai Lamas of various generations came to the monastery for celebrations after taking vows or winning Geshi, the highest degree in Buddhism.The monastery has been restored to its old grandeur.

Jokhang Monastery: Holy Hall

The Jokhang Monastery, located in downtown Lhasa, is a Buddhist hall for Tibetan Buddhists and a symbol of unity between the Tibetan and Han peoples. First built in the mid-7th century, the monastery was a temple in the shape of a two-story boat. After repeated expansion in the ensuing centuries, the monastery is now a combination of large buildings covering an area of 25,100 square meters.

The Hall of Sakyamuni is the most important in the monastery. It enshrines a statue of Sakyamuni, which Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng brought to Lhasa. The city is called Lhasa, meaning "holy land," because of the statue's presence. The statue attracts an endless flow of worshippers every day. Around the Hall of Sakyamuni are eight low-lying, dark halls where butter lamps flicker in front of Buddha images. These halls were all built during the Tubo Kingdom. The golden urn, called Jinbenbaping, which Qing Emperor Qianlong had cast in the 57th year of his reign (1792) for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Erdeni, is enshrined in front of the statue of Zongkapa. The urn is 34 cm high, and is covered with patterns such as lotus flower petals and plant branches. Inside the urn are five ivory lots. When the soul boy of the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Erdeni has to be determined, names of the soul boy candidates are written on lots. The urn is then sealed and shaken repeatedly. After this, one lot is drawn out of the urn and the chosen boy houses the soul of the demised Living Buddha. The southern part of the second floor is the Hall of the Prince of Dharma, which enshrines the statues of Tubo King Songtsan Gambo, Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng, Nepalese Princess Bhributi and Tubo Minister Gar Tongtsan_statues which were products of the ancient times. Between the second and third floors is the Hall of the Bandan Lhamo, a female deity who guards the Jokhang Monastery and Lhasa. On the top floor there tower four giant golden tops built during the mid-14th century and the 17th century. Located in the center of Lhasa City, like a holy bird spreading his wings, they glisten in the sunshine.

In front of the Jokhang Monastery is the Princess Willow Tree. Legend has it that when Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng was married in Tubo, she planted this willow tree. There are also stories which say she planted three other willow trees, at the foot of the Potala Palace, in front of the Ramoche Monastery and at Balangxoi (Black Tent) in the eastern district of the city. Next to the Princess Willow Tree is the Uncle-Nephew Peace Pledge Monument, erected in 822 to mark the alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Tubo Kingdom.