Lhasa is a city of wonders. The Potala, a vast white and ochre fortress, dominates the Lhasa skyline. Once the seat of Tibetan government and the location of the tombs of previous Dalai Lamas, the Potala serves as a symbolic focus for Tibetan aspirations of self-government.
© 2005 Lonely Planet Publications
Lhasa literally means "Place of the gods", although ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was first called Rasa, which literally means 'courtyard place' or 'goat place'. Its altitude is about 3,650 m (12,000 ft).
Legend has it that the second Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo (Srong-brtsan Sgam-po) 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 (Dge-lugs) monasteries by Tsong-kha-pa and his disciples in the 15th century. The three monasteries are Ganden (Dga'-ldan), Sera (Se-ra), and Drepung ('Bras-spung).
The fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (Blo-bzang-rgya-mtsho) (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 200,000, which is nearly seven times more than in 1959, when the population was approximately 30,000.
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 circumambulatories for use by pilgrims, who 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 statue. 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 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.