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Tibet Photo Gallery - Lhasa, including Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple

I travelled to Lhasa in 1993, 1998, and 2005.

Tibet Lhasa 01 00 Google Earth Overview Of Trip Here is a Google Earth image of the main places we visited on our trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu, with side trips to Everest North Base Camp and Shishapangma North Base Camp.

Tibet Lhasa 01 00 Google Earth Overview Of Trip

Tibet Lhasa 01 01 Kathmandu Boarding Air China Flight To Lhasa We were up early and transferred to the airport for the quick one-hour flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa on Air China.

Tibet Lhasa 01 01 Kathmandu Boarding Air China Flight To Lhasa

Tibet Lhasa 01 02 Everest From Flight To Kathmandu to Lhasa On our flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, We couldn’t see much with the monsoon clouds, but did get to see the top of Mount Everest.

Tibet Lhasa 01 02 Everest From Flight To Kathmandu to Lhasa

Tibet Lhasa 01 03 Buddha Rock Painting Just Outside Lhasa On arrival at Lhasa’s Gonggar airport, we had to pass through a special security screen which actually took our temperature. After clearing immigration and customs we met our guide Jigme and our Landcruiser driver Panchoul. We stopped just 11km from Lhasa to admire a large and colourful Buddha carved into the base of a cliff. This used to be behind a small lake, but they’ve filled in the part next to the statue with gravel, so now you can walk directly there.

Tibet Lhasa 01 03 Buddha Rock Painting Just Outside Lhasa

Tibet Lhasa 01 04 Coracle Just Outside Lhasa Next to the Buddha rock carving just 11km from Lhasa, an enterprising young man has a coracle to take you for a short ride. A coracle is a surprisingly strong and light boat made with yak hide stretched over a wooden frame.

Tibet Lhasa 01 04 Coracle Just Outside Lhasa

Tibet Lhasa 02 01 Potala Palace from Kyichu Hotel The religious and political heart of the Tibetan world, Lhasa (3650m) sits on the north bank of the Kyi Chu, surrounded by mountain ranges to the north and south. You know you’ve arrived in the traditional capital of Tibet when you see the red and white palaces of the Potala, home to the Dalai Lamas since the 17th century. Here is our view of the Potala Palace from the roof of the Kyichu Hotel in the early morning.

Tibet Lhasa 02 01 Potala Palace from Kyichu Hotel

Tibet Lhasa 02 02 Jokhang Barkhor Kora The Barkhor kora is Lhasa’s inner pilgrim circuit, shaped roughly like an octagon running around the Jokhang Temple. We mixed with the pilgrims and, hey, is that a cowboy, and walked clockwise around the circuit, lined with markets, shops, stalls and street vendors providing every conceivable item a Tibetan could need. Behind is a darchen (prayer flagpole), which marks the spot where Tsongkhapa planted his walking stick in 1409.

Tibet Lhasa 02 02 Jokhang Barkhor Kora

Tibet Lhasa 02 03 Peter Ryan in Barkhor Square with Jokhang behind As Peter Ryan waited for me to take photos of the Jokhang in the extremely hot 27C afternoon sun, he threw up for the first time in his life. His legs felt wobbly, his neck hurt, his stomach was upset and he turned pale. He thought he was going to burp, but the Sprite I forced him to drink at the Kyichu Hotel came up instead. Here he is standing at the historic spot three minutes later, at the edge of Barkhor (renamed Barfkhor) Square with the Jokhang behind. I think altitude sickness was responsible, and my forcing him to drink the can of sprite.

Tibet Lhasa 02 03 Peter Ryan in Barkhor Square with Jokhang behind

Tibet Lhasa 02 04 Jokhang Outside Full View The Jokhang Temple is the spiritual centre of Tibet and destination of millions of Tibetan pilgrims. The Jokhang (or Jowokhang meaning 'chapel of the Jowo') Temple was founded sometime between 639 and 647 by King Songtsen Gampo. Pilgrims pass the front of the Jokhang Temple as they continue their Barkhor kora.

Tibet Lhasa 02 04 Jokhang Outside Full View

Tibet Lhasa 02 05 Jokhang Outside Prostrator In front of the Jokhang we admired the dedication of this pilgrim who was prostrating along the full Barkhor kora.

Tibet Lhasa 02 05 Jokhang Outside Prostrator

Tibet Lhasa 02 06 Jokhang Entrance Pilgrims Prostrating We watched the devout pilgrims prostrate themselves at the Jokhang Temple’s entrance doors. Their hands are protected by large mittens or small block of wood fixed to the waist by a lace. People kneel, their hands reach the ground and they start sliding until the whole body extends on the ground too. Standing up they then repeat the action again and again.

Tibet Lhasa 02 06 Jokhang Entrance Pilgrims Prostrating

Tibet Lhasa 02 07 Jokhang inside Padmasambhava The inner sanctum of the Jokhang houses its most important images and chapels. In the central area is a 6m statue of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), the 8th century master who established Buddhism in Tibet. He has a curly moustache and holds a thunderbolt in his right hand, a skull cap in his left hand, and a staff with three heads – one shrunken, one severed and one skull – in the crook of his left arm. He has a ritual dagger in his belt. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip.

Tibet Lhasa 02 07 Jokhang inside Padmasambhava

Tibet Lhasa 02 08 Jokhang Inside Maitreya The inner sanctum of the Jokhang houses its most important images and chapels. In the central area is a large seated statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, with a photo of the Tenth Panchen Lama in his lap. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip.

Tibet Lhasa 02 08 Jokhang Inside Maitreya

Tibet Lhasa 02 09 Jokhang Inside Maitreya Close Up Here is a close-up photo of the large seated statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, from Jokhang Temple’s inner sanctum. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip.

Tibet Lhasa 02 09 Jokhang Inside Maitreya Close Up

Tibet Lhasa 02 10 Jokhang Inside Another Maitreya Statue The inner sanctum of the Jokhang houses its most important images and chapels. In the central area is another large seated statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip.

Tibet Lhasa 02 10 Jokhang Inside Another Maitreya Statue

Tibet Lhasa 02 11 Jokhang Inside Tsongkhapa Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) wears the yellow hat of the Gelugpa order, which he founded and now has the Dalai Lama at its head. He is supposedly a manifestation of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip. Note the photo of the current Dalai Lama, allowed in 1993 in a period of religious tolerance

Tibet Lhasa 02 11 Jokhang Inside Tsongkhapa

Tibet Lhasa 02 12 Jokhang Inside Jowo Shakyamuni The Chapel of Jowo Shakyamuni is the most important shrine in Tibet, housing a 1.5m sitting image of Shakyamuni at the age of 12. It is supposedly one of only three made during his lifetime. It was a gift from the Chinese Princess Wencheng to her husband King Songtsen Gampo. The Jowo sits on a majestic massive three-tiered stone platform. Two silver-plated dragons presented by the Chinese emperor entwine the ornate pillars that support an intricate double canopy over the Jowo. An ornate crown of coral, turquoise, diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems, sits on the Jowo’s head. Although there’s no photography allowed, here’s a photo from my 1993 trip. Note the photo of the current Dalai Lama, allowed in 1993 in a period of religious tolerance.

Tibet Lhasa 02 12 Jokhang Inside Jowo Shakyamuni

Tibet Lhasa 02 13 Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, Jerome Ryan On Jokhang Roof with Potala Behind Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, and Jerome Ryan on Jokhang roof with the Potala Palace behind.

Tibet Lhasa 02 13 Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, Jerome Ryan On Jokhang Roof with Potala Behind

Tibet Lhasa 02 14 Jokhang Roof View to Barkhor Square and Potala Because it was the Dalai Lama’s birthday, the juniper leaves were burning especially heavy, sending tons of smoke to the Jokhang roof and on to the heavens. From the Jokhang's roof, we looked down at Barkhor Square and the Jowo Utra (Hair of the Buddha), a recently built stone enclosure with a willow tree and two 3m tall steles.

Tibet Lhasa 02 14 Jokhang Roof View to Barkhor Square and Potala

Tibet Lhasa 03 01 Chakpo Ri Rock Paintings Chagpo Ri is an S-shaped hill running east to west along the north side of the Lhasa River. There are over 5000 painted rock carvings on Chakpo Ri, the largest such collection in Tibet.

Tibet Lhasa 03 01 Chakpo Ri Rock Paintings

Tibet Lhasa 03 02 Potala Palace The Potala Palace, perched high above Lhasa on the Marpori (red mountain), is a place of spiritual pilgrimage and a mammoth tribute to Tibetan architectural skills. The name Potala derives from the Sanskrit ‘Potalaa’, the abode of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Unlike most Tibetan monasteries, the Red Guards did not sack the Potala during the Cultural Revolution, and, as a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are remarkably well preserved.

Tibet Lhasa 03 02 Potala Palace

Tibet Lhasa 03 03 Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, Jerome Ryan At South West Corner Of Potala Palace Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, and Jerome Ryan pose just up the hill opposite the south-west corner of the Potala, with once again juniper smoke going up to the heavens. There was a Chinese soldier there to make sure there wasn't too much smoke to hide the view of the security camera. To the lower right, across from the Potala they are redoing the large Chinese-style open square in a more Tibetan motif, once again to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tibet Lhasa 03 03 Charlotte Ryan, Dangles, Peter Ryan, Jerome Ryan At South West Corner Of Potala Palace

Tibet Lhasa 03 04 Potala From Behind, Above the Dragon King Pool The time on our entrance ticket wasn’t for over an hour, so we walked the Potala kora, with a spectacular view of the Potala Palace from behind, above the Dragon King Pool.

Tibet Lhasa 03 04 Potala From Behind, Above the Dragon King Pool

Tibet Lhasa 03 05 Peter Ryan With Chinese Tourists In Potala Deyang Shar Courtyard We had to stop to catch our breath several times as we climbed up to the entrance behind the Potala. We entered the large courtyard known as Deyang Shar, in front of the White Palace. I was so beat from the altitude I sat down and drank a Pepsi. There was a young Chinese tourist couple also enjoying a rest. They thought Peter Ryan was cute, and had their picture taken with him.

Tibet Lhasa 03 05 Peter Ryan With Chinese Tourists In Potala Deyang Shar Courtyard

Tibet Lhasa 04 01 Potala Lokeshvara Sandalwood Statue The Potala’s most sacred statue is the small, ancient and jewel-encrusted gilded sandalwood image of Arya Lokeshvara, the personal tutelary deity (yidam) of Songtsen Gampo. Flanking it are Tara and Avalokiteshvara, both made of white sandalwood. This is one of the few corners of the Potala that dates from the time of Songtsen Gampo’s 7th century palace. Since photography isn't allowed in the Potala Palace, I highly recommend the book Splendor of Tibet: The Potala Palace, Jewel of the Himalayas by Phuntsok Namgyalis, from which this photo was taken.

Tibet Lhasa 04 01 Potala Lokeshvara Sandalwood Statue

Tibet Lhasa 04 02 Potala Songtsen Gampo Tradition holds that the small, dim chapel of Chogyal Drubphuk was the cave where King Songtsen Gampo meditated. His statue has a high turban with the head of Amitabha emerging from the top. It is likely that the statue was created between 750-850.

Tibet Lhasa 04 02 Potala Songtsen Gampo

Tibet Lhasa 04 03 Potala Princess Wencheng In the Chogyal Drubphuk to the right of King Songtsen Gampo are statues of his Chinese and Nepalese wives. The tall alert figure of his Chinese wife Princess Wencheng has prominent rounded breasts and a typically Central Asian face. She brought to Tibet the famous statue of Jowo Shakyamuni, now in the Jokhang.

Tibet Lhasa 04 03 Potala Princess Wencheng

Tibet Lhasa 04 04 Potala Dalai Lama 5 Funerary Stupa The huge 12.6m funerary chörten of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama is built of sandalwood and is covered with 3,700kg of gold!!

Tibet Lhasa 04 04 Potala Dalai Lama 5 Funerary Stupa

Tibet Lhasa 04 05 Potala Dalai Lama 5 and Shakyamuni In the Chapel of the Holy Born are two similarly sized statues sharing a joint throne, Shakyamuni in solid gold and the Great Fifth Dalai Lama in silver. The toranas behind the statues are finely carved with garuda and female subterranean figures. Shakyamuni was based on the Jowo Shakyamuni in the Jokhang Temple. The Fifth wears the Gelugpa yellow hat with his right hand in the teaching mudra and his left hand holding the dharma wheel.

Tibet Lhasa 04 05 Potala Dalai Lama 5 and Shakyamuni

Tibet Lhasa 04 06 Potala Padmasambhava Close Up The Preceptor Chapel is dedicated to eight Indian teachers who brought various tantric practices and rituals to Tibet. The central figure is a silver statue of Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), backed by an elaborate halo and topped with a finely worked garuda.

Tibet Lhasa 04 06 Potala Padmasambhava Close Up

Tibet Lhasa 04 07 Potala Kalachakra 3-D Mandala The Chapel of Kalachakra has a stunning gilt-copper three-dimensional mandala, 6.2m in diameter, and finely detailed with over 170 statues.

Tibet Lhasa 04 07 Potala Kalachakra 3-D Mandala

Tibet Lhasa 04 08 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Funerary Stupa The huge ornate 12.8m funerary chörten of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama was built between 1934 and 1936, to entomb his body in salt.

Tibet Lhasa 04 08 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Funerary Stupa

Tibet Lhasa 04 09 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Pearl Mandala Below the statue of the 13th Dalai Lama is a three-dimensional mandala made with 220,000 pearls. Notice the intricate pagoda studded with turquoise on top, and the small pearl-crafted figures of horses and human figures at the base.

Tibet Lhasa 04 09 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Pearl Mandala

Tibet Lhasa 04 10 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Funerary 11-Headed Avalokiteshvara In the funerary chapel for the 13th Dalai Lama is this exceptional mural of the 11-headed, 1000-armed Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig).

Tibet Lhasa 04 10 Potala Dalai Lama 13 Funerary 11-Headed Avalokiteshvara

Tibet Lhasa 04 11 Potala Maitreya The giant 3.7m-high seated Maitreya (Jampa) is a finely crafted gilt-copper statue commissioned by the Eighth Dalai Lama.

Tibet Lhasa 04 11 Potala Maitreya

Tibet Lhasa 04 12 Potala Dalai Lama 14 Study and Meditation Seat In the White Palace is the study and meditation seat of the 14th Dalai Lama. Behind this wall is His Holiness’ bedroom.

Tibet Lhasa 04 12 Potala Dalai Lama 14 Study and Meditation Seat


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