Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tibet-Mount Everest

Mount Everest - also called Qomolangma Peak (Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ), Mount Sagarmāthā (Nepali: सगरमाथा), Chajamlungma (Limbu), Zhumulangma Peak (Chinese: 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng) or Mount Chomolungma - is the highest mountain on Earth, and the highest point on the Earth's continental crust, as measured by the height above sea level of its summit, 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in Asia, is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet, China.

Rongbuk monastery lies by the foot of the Rongbuk Glacier at 5,100 metres (17,000 ft) above sea level, the highest monastery in the world. It is only 200 metres (660 ft) lower than the north side Everest Base Camp of Mount Everest.



First Sight of Everest



 

 

At The Base Camp finally



 

 

Sunset at foot of Everest
 

Tibet-Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake (Tibetan: Yamdrok Yumtso,  Chinese: 羊卓雍錯) is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet (28°56′N 90°41′E / 28.933°N 90.683°E / 28.933; 90.683). It is over 72 km (45 miles) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake does have an outlet stream at its far western end.
Around 90 km to the west of the lake lies the Tibetan town of Gyantse and Lhasa is a hundred km to the northeast. According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tibet- Karola glacier

乃钦康桑山

所处位置海拔5036米,山顶海拔7191米



 

 

 

 

Monday, December 28, 2009

Tibet-Gyantse

Gyantsealso spelled Gyangtse (Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རྩེ་ Chinese: 江孜镇; ) is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture.
Gyantse is notable for its magnificent tiered Kumbum (literally, '100,000 images') of the Palcho Monastery, the largest chörten in Tibet. The Kumbum was commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1427 and was an important centre of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. This religious structure contains 77 chapels in its six floors, and is illustrated with over 10,000 murals, many showing a strong Nepali influence which have survived pretty well intact. They are the last of this type in Tibet. Many of the restored clay statues are of less artistry than the destroyed originals - but they are still spectacular.


Gyantse Fortress




 

 

 

Along the street



 



Tashilhunpo Monastery (Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལྷུན་པོ་), founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery next to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet.
It was sacked when the Gurkhas invaded Tibet and captured Shigatse in 1791 before a combined Tibetan and Chinese army drove them back as far as the outskirts of Kathmandu, when they were forced to agree to keep the peace in future, pay tribute every five years, and return what they had looted from Tashilhunpo.
The monastery is the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas, the second highest ranking tulku lineage in the Gelukpa tradition. The "Tashi" or Panchen Lama had temporal power over three small districts, though not over the town of Shigatse itself, which was administered by a dzongpön (prefect) appointed from Lhasa.
Located on a hill in the center of the city, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means: "all fortune and happiness gathered here" or "heap of glory



 

 

 

 

 

 

 









Friday, December 18, 2009

Tibet-Jokhang Temple

Date 13th Oct 2009
The afternoon trip was to the Jokhang Temple just a minute walk from my hotel. 大昭寺;  It is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. It was built during the reign of king Songsten GampoTang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who was a Buddhist. (605?-650 CE) to celebrate his marriage with Chinese Tang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who was a Buddhist.  It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual centre of Lhasa.

 
UNESCO World Heritage Site







Gilt roof of the Jokhang

  
Prayer and prostration in front of the Jokhang

  

  

  

  

  

 

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Tibet- Potala Palace

Date 13th Oct 2009: My first stop in Tibet


The Potala Palace ( 布達拉宮) is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese.
 





 


 
Potala Palace as seem from the roof top of my hotel


 


 


 


 


On the way up the palace.





 


 
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A panorama view of Lhasa as view from the palace




Here are some photos along the Street outside the palace.






 A boy posing for me to take a shoot.  He kindly agreed to allow me to take a photo of him when I approached him.

Everyday, the faithful devotee Tibetans will knee before the palace to say their prayer.


 
The lucky wheel.  You have to rotate it clockwise for the charm to work. Every turn in clockwise direction is considered as reciting the script once.







A night view of the majestic palace.