Tibetan autonomy, or Sizan, as the Chinese call it, is the third largest region of the PRC. The historical capital of Tibet is the city of Lhasa. Autonomy is located high above sea level, on the Tibetan plateau, the largest and highest in the world. From here originate the great rivers of India and China - the Indus, Brahmaputra, Saluin, Mekong, Yangtze, Yellow River. The specific, extraordinary and mysterious Tibet is a place where travelers attain a state of spiritual catharsis. He is popular, attractive, it is impossible to forget.
Unique country
The tourist popularity of Tibet is based on its ancient history, religion - without knowing the basic information about this state, it is impossible to fully enjoy the charm of its nature and architecture. Everything created by man and higher powers gives the country its charm.
More or less accurate data indicate the emergence of the first Tibetan state in the Yarlung river valley (hence the name of the ruling dynasty - Yarlung) in the 3rd century AD. And already since the 7th century, the history of Tibet appeals with specific names, numbers, and details. From that time to the present day, genuine fragments of the structures of famous monasteries have been preserved. Time and war did not spare the unique buildings of a unique culture. But restored, they attract tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. The complex, which the capital of Tibet possesses and is proud of, is under the protection of UNESCO. The originality of Tibetan culture and faith is explained not only by the inaccessibility and closeness to the outside world, but also by its territorial position - Tibet borders on such original countries as India, Nepal and China. Historically, it has long been under the strong influence of Mongolia.
Great tibetan king
Each country throughout its existence has had a strong leader, a bright personality. The state during its reign flourished, expanded, became dominant in the region. In the 7th century AD, the wise ruler Songtsen Gampo (604-650 years) appeared in Tibet. He united the disparate provinces under his authority. His two wives, the Chinese and Nepalese princesses, brought to the country along with the
statues of Buddha given to them in the dowry, Buddhism itself. The feuds with neighbors who became relatives have temporarily abated. Under the influence of Chinese wives Wencheng and Nepali Bhrikuti, who later reincarnated as Green and White Tara, the main goddess of Buddhism, the capital of Tibet was moved to Lhasa (from Tibetan - “the abode of the gods” or “divine place”), which turned into a stronghold in this region Buddhism. For two statues in Lhasa, the ruler built two temples - Jokhang and Ramoche. Repeatedly redone, they exist now and personify the 7th century. In addition, having taken a fancy to Red Mountain, Songtsen Gampo built a nine-floor palace with 999 rooms on it, from which a cave has survived to this day, where the ruler meditated in solitude. A stream of tourists flocking here, wishing to feel the wisdom of centuries and enjoy the triumph of the Spirit.
Creed war
Now the legendary Potala rises in this place. Three of these buildings are part of the complex, which is under the care of UNESCO. The capital of Tibet, Lhasa, another 250 years after the death of Songtsen Gampo, was a stronghold of the Yarlung dynasty.
But Buddhism was popular here only among a small aristocratic stratum, while the vast majority of Tibetans professed Bon according to the faith of their ancestors. Religious disagreements were the main reason for the collapse of the centralized Tibetan state. However, Buddhism, on the contrary, began to gain popularity, acquiring new distinctive features. In Europe, this teaching was firmly established under the name Lamaism, representing an interweaving of the philosophy of Buddhism and belief in mysterious magic. They also call it the Tibetan-Mongolian form of the Mahayana, the northern branch of Buddhism, or its late form.
The emergence of Buddhism in these territories
As a state form, Lamaism is a church country led by a priest, here called the Dalai Lama. The capital of Tibet since the 13th century is the stronghold of Lamaism, which penetrated into certain regions of Mongolia, Nepal, India and China.
Buddhism in Tibet gained popularity primarily through the construction of religious monasteries, the first of which was Samye. It was erected in 770 by the efforts of Tisong Detseng, 38 king of Tibet. After that, the then capital of Tibet lost the importance of the main city of the state. But today this place is one of the main and popular points of the tourist route.
Revival after the Mongol invasion
In the XI century, the country began to revive, but the Mongols who invaded its territory in 1239 ravaged most monasteries. Over time, the conquerors who settled here adopted Buddhism. And when in 1350 the monk Dzhanchub Gyaltsen (the first student of the Sakya school) began to restore them, they willingly helped him. At the end of the XIV - beginning of the XV centuries, the Gelug school (true) began to gain popularity and increase its influence in Tibet. The monasteries Ganden, Drepung and Sarah built by her became places of pilgrimage. The ancient city of Lhasa, the capital of alpine Tibet, is becoming the center of a new religion, for the formation and flourishing of which the Dalai Lama V, named Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso the Great (1617-1682), did a lot. Judging by the word "great," one can imagine how much he did for Tibet. In place of the palace that burned out as a result of lightning, he began to erect the pearl of world architecture - the Potala Palace, which, according to the plan, was to become the residence of the lamas and their tomb. Today, the palace is the hallmark of Tibet, its symbol.
Legendary palace
Potala is a mountain in South India. According to Buddhist legends, Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezi) lives on it, from which the entire Tibetan people originated. The Dalai Lama is the earthly incarnation of the Bodhisattva. And, of course, the palace was called Potala, and it became the residence of the religious rulers of Tibet until 1950, when Chinese troops occupied Tibet, and the XIV Dalai Lama was forced to emigrate to India.
New mansions began to be built during the reign of the V Dalai Lama, in 1645, at the place where the 9-story Songtsen Gampo castle once stood. Since that time, only the legendary Fa-Wang cave has been preserved in the palace, where he, 33 the Great King of Tibet, read sacred texts. The unique structure on the top of the mountain is, as it were, its continuation, leaving for heaven. Now the two-tone beauty is taken under protection (several monks live in it) and is a historical and architectural monument, serving mainly to attract tourists to Tibet. Lhasa, open to visitors only in 1980, is now a popular tourist destination.
China is doing everything to increase the flow of tourists
China pays great attention to tourism . The unique Tibetan autonomy with the capital of Lhasa is a treasure that becomes a tourist mecca. Of course, open to visitors recently, Tibet has long been a completely non-public religious center. There is no such powerful infrastructure designed for an endless stream of visitors, as, say, in Switzerland - the oldest resort center in the world. But the lost quickly catches up.
Already, Lhasa, the historical capital of Tibet, has tourist complexes that meet the best international standards. We can name several upscale five-star hotels, the best of 296 existing today in the capital of Tibet. This is Shangri-La, which is just 700 meters from Norbulink Palace and the Tibet Museum. It is followed by an unusually beautiful St. Regis Lhasa Resort. Not inferior to them Shambhala Palace and Tashitakge Hotel.
A trip to Tibet is accessible to many
But these are the “best of the best” hotel complexes located in the center of the capital, within walking distance from the main attractions of Lhasa. The entire tourism system in Tibet is thought out to the smallest detail. There are hotels with very affordable prices, as well as with a flexible system of benefits, such as food stamps, free cancellation, discounts on airline tickets and much more. The vast majority of hotels have very high ratings and good reviews. Now Lhasa is called “the city of hotels”. But it is also a city of unique attractions. These include the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, Berkhor Street and the monasteries of Drepung, Sera, Ganden, Trugo and Tsanggu Nunnery. The list of major attractions will be incomplete without the Pabong Monastery and the tombs of the early Tibetan kings.