Tibet - The Roof of the World
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Tibet, used to be the mysterious, legendary and unknown Roof of the World, hidden and almost unreachable behind the highest mountains in the world can be easily reached today from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province to Lhasa. This is the safest way for visitors to travel to Tibet. The Himalayas are the youngest folded mountains in the world. Before the south Indian land mass began to shift northwards about 40 million years ago, the Tethys Ocean, one of the largest oceans in the history of the earth occupied the area. Today, the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau is at an average altitude of 4,000 metres, the most elevated plateau on earth, covering 25 percent of the entire Chinese territory. The Tibetans have been nomads for centuries, crossing the highlands pastures in the south with their herbs of sheep, goats and yak. In contrast, the north is an unihabitants deserts. Today, 2.2 million people live in the autonomous region of Tibet, of whom about 1.7 millions are Tibetans. Tibetans also live in Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

Lhasa, the capital of the province and centre of Tibetan Buddhism, lies at an altitude of 3,660 metres on the banks of the river Kyichu, a tributary of Yarlung Zangbo river. Potala, a palace built by King Songsten Gampo stood on the Marpori, the "Red Mountain", in the 7^th century. Since the construction of the Potala Palace in 1645 at the time of the Great 5^th Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lamas resided here as religious and secular rulers. Visitors can look down into the valley and the old city from the roof of Potala.

The holiest temple of all Tibetans is in the city centre, the Jokhang Temple. The main building of the Jokhang was built on a square Mandala foundation, date from the mid 7^th century. The temple had been built as a shrine for a Buddha statue that the Chinese princess Wen Cheng had brought to Lhasa as a wedding gift from the Chinese emperor. The centre of the temple is occupied by a light courtyard, four gilded roofs mark the holiest halls, the chapel of the Jobo Buddha, the Avalokiteshvara Chapel, the Maitreya Chapel and the Chapel of King Songsten Gampo. The golden Jobo statue is richly decorated with jewels and usually covered with brocade and silk bands. At the feet of the Buddha, lamps made of heavy silver and filled with yak oil burn continouslly. It is not quite certain whether the status really is the original from the year 641. From the roof of the Jokhang, visitor can get a view of the Potala Palace and of the Barkhor, the sacred ritual path which surrounds the Jokhang and the Tsuglagkhang, the offices of the Tibetans government administration.

Sera, Drepung and Ganden are the three great monasteries near Lhasa which are considered as important centres of the Yellow Hats sect and as pillars of the theocratic state. Sera Monastery was built in 1419 by a pupil of Tsongkhapa at a place where his great master had spent many years studying and meditating in a small hut. During its most active period, almost 5,000 monks lived in the monastery. Today, nearly 300 monks live in the monastery, whose main buildings were saved from the destruction of the Cultural Revolution. Drepung Monastery, which was built in 1416, also by a pupil of Tsongkhapa, was for a long time the political headquarters of the Yellow Hat sect. Before the Potala palace was built, the predecessors of the 5^th Great Dalai Lama resided here. Drepung is probably the largest monastery in the world. At the height of its activities, nearly 10,000 monks are said to lived here. The third biggest monastery is Garden Monastery. The monastery was founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, the reformer and founder of the Yellow Hat sect, is one of the most sacred placed of Tibetan Buddhism, where 5,000 monks once lived. It was almost totally destroy during the Cultural Revolution. In 1985, it was rebuilt and that was limited to the most important buildings, including the Mausoleum of Tsongkhapa, recognisable from distance by its red walls. Today, some 300 monks live here.

Tsetang, is a small country town about 2 hours drive from Lhasa. From here, visitors can undertake excursions to the Yarlung valley to see the Tibetans king’s graves and the old Samye and Mindroling monasteries. Samye Monastery is the oldest monastery of Tibet.

Gyantse, which lies on south-west of Lhasa, is the third largest of the old Tibetan towns. The most important structure here is Palkhor Tschode. The circle-shaped monastery site, whch is enclosed by a wall, used to have several monasteries belonging to different sect. The 32 metres tall Kumbum pagoda is in the shape of a three dimensional Mandala and symbolises Mount Meru. The central structure at the tip of the dagoda is a chapel for the original Buddha.

Xigaze, 360 km west of Lhasa, is traditionally the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second head of Tibetan Buddhism. In ancient Tibet the town, which today has less than 50,000 inhabitants, was the capital of Tsang province. The residence of the Panchen Lama, Tashi-Lhunpo Monestery, was founded in 1447 by a pupil of Tsongkhapa. The monestery site was substantially enlarges during 17^th and 18^th centuries. Nearly 4,000 monks used to lived here but today there are only 600. The most important builiding is Maitreya Chapel, built by the 9^th Panchen Lama in 1914. The memorial of the 4^th Panchen Lama is also worth seeing. It is 11 metres tall and was erected in 1662. It is decorated with 3,000 ounces of gold, 15 tons of silver and innumerable preecious stones.