Lhasa
literally means "place of the gods", although ancient Tibetan
documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was first
called Rasa, which means "courtyard place" or "goat
place". Its altitude is about 3,650 m (12,000 ft), and its
population about 200,000.Lhasa
lies at 29°41.76′N 91°9.54′E in an area known as the "Lhasa
Valley"; even though the average altitude of the valley is well
over 3,000 m (10,000 ft) the mountains around it rise to 5,500 m
(18,000 ft). The Kyi (or Kyi Chu) River, a tributary of the
Brahmaputra River, runs through the city. Depending on how the
status of Tibet before 1950 is interpreted, Lhasa can be
regarded as the highest national capital at that time,
surpassing La Paz, Bolivia, which currently holds that
distinction.
History
Legend has it that the second
Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo made Lhasa his capital. But
contemporary documents (e.g. The Old Tibetan Annals) show that
the empire was ruled from a moving capital.
The city rose to prominence following the founding of three
large Gelugpa monasteries by Je Tsongkhapa and his disciples in
the 15th century. The three monasteries are Ganden, Sera, and
Drepung monasteries.
The fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682), conquered
Tibet and moved the center of his administration to Lhasa.
There, he started constructing the Potala Palace, which was
finished some years after his death. During this time, Lhasa
gained its unquestioned status as the political capital of
Tibet.
In the first half of the 20th century, several western explorers
made celebrated journeys to the city, including Francis
Younghusband, Alexandra David-Néel, and Heinrich Harrer. Lhasa
was the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and nearly half of its
population were monks. The population of Lhasa was estimated at
25,000 in 1951, excluding some 15,000 monks in area's
monastaries. As of the early 2000s, the city's population stands
at about 250,000. For the history of Tibet since 1950, see the
history of Tibet.
Culture
Lhasa has many
historic relics, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple,
Sera Monastery, Zhefeng Temple, Drepung Monastery and
Norbulingka. However, many important sites were damaged or
destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
The city of Lhasa contains three concentric paths used by
pilgrims to circumambulate (walk around) the sacred Johkhang
Temple, many of whom make full or partial prostrations along
these routes in order to gain spiritual merit. The innermost,
the Nangkor (Nang-skor), is contained within the Jokhang temple,
and surrounds the sanctuary of the Jowo Shakyamuni, the most
sacred statue in Tibetan Buddhism. The middle circumambulatory,
the Barkor (Bar-skor), passes through the old town and surrounds
the Jokhang temple and various other buildings in its vicinity.
The outer Lingkor (Gling-skor) encircles the entire traditional
city of Lhasa. Due to the construction of a large new street,
Beijing Lam, the Lingkor is not usually used by pilgrims today.
Early
19th-century Russian map of Lhasa.
