About Tibet

In geological terms, the creation of the himalayas and the rising of the Tibetan plateau are extremely recent events. The mountains originated less than four million years ago, making them among the youngest in the world.

There are three distinct geographical regions in greater Tibet.

By far the largest natural region is the Northern Plateau, or Chang Tang, which covers about half of Tibet's total surface area and is delineated in the west by the great Karakoram range, in the north by the wall of the Astin Tagh, and in the northeast by the Nan Shan range.

The chang tang has one of the worst climates on earth and therefore most of the part of this region is never visited by humans. The second main geographical region of Tibet, the outer plateau is a relatively narrow strip, with the himalayas forming the southern boundary. It is the most populous part of Tibet and contains almost all the major human settlements.

The outer plateau differs from the northern plateau in several important ways. The temperature and climate are milder, and consequently there is a richer distribution of flora and fauna. The area around shigatse and the Lhasa valley are clear examples of this. Contrary to popular images of Tibet, Lhasa has a pleasant climate, with nearly all its rainfall occurring in the summer. For most of the year the weather is sunny and dry, mild during the day from april to october, and not unbearably cold in winter. The other main geographical region is the southeastern plateau, comprising only one-tenth of the total area of Tibet and forests are very much a characteristic of this region.

Places To Visit

1) Lhasa
Lhasa was and still is the religious, cultural & economic center of Tibet. Places of interest include the Potala, the 13 storey, 1,000 room palace of the Dalai Lama; the monasteries of Drepung & Sera, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, Norbulinka; and the Jokhang, the holiest shrine in Tibet. The circular Barkhor Street with innumerable shops & wayside peddlers intermingle with the devotees walking clockwise around the Jokhang infusing the magic that is Tibet.

2) Potala Palace
One of the highlights is the visit to the symbol of Tibet; the Potala Palace set high on Red Hill, the winter home of the Dalai Lama until 1959. The most sacred temple in Lhasa is the Lokhang, where people come from all over Tibet to visit and pray in this spiritual heart of the country. It was used as a military kitchen during the Cultural Revolution but has now been beautifully restored, with many priceless thangkas and statues adorning the chapels, and magnificent gilded roofs.

3) Norbulinka Park
Norbulinka means “the jeweled garden” is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. This large complex of small palaces like Gesang Palace, Jianse Palace and Daktanmiju lies within a walled garden that covers 360,000 sq. mts. The whole garden consists of two main parts – Norbulinkha at the western area & Jianselingka at the eastern area. It has fascinating murals in excellent condition, superb Mandalas & frescoes.

4) Sera Monastery
Sera monastery, which was created in 1419, has always been an important Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted everywhere in the monastery, it is also called “the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas live in there. Another great treasure is the Norbulingka – the old summer palace of the Dalai Lama.

5) Jokhang Temple
Jokhang temple was built in 647 A.D and is the spiritual center of Tibet and the holiest destination for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. It houses the sitting statue of Sakyamuni, when he was 12 years old. From dawn till dusk, one can see an astounding display of chanting, prostrating pilgrims circumambulating the temple. Hundreds of faces, ornaments, clothes & colors swirl round in a gigantic whirlpool of religious fervor.

6) Drepung Monastery
It is located at the foot of the West Valley Mountain (Gyephel-Ou-Tse) about 10 kms from Lhasa. Drepung Monastery was built by Jamyang-Choje Tashi-Phiden in 1416 AD. Drepung is one of the six largest monasteries of the Gelupa sect & comprises of six main temples: Ganden Palace, Tsochen, Ngakpa, Losaling, Gomang & Dyeyang. The main relics in these temples are image of Maitreya, Yamantaka, Mitrukpa, Sutrakangyur with golden letters, Thankas, Silk scrolls (which are very precious & are rarely seen in the world), various gilded statures, Buddhist scriptures & countless other cultural relics. There are monastic colleges for the study of Philosophy & one for the practice of Tantric Buddhism. The monastery covers an area of over 20, 000 sq. mts.

7) Yarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is the home of the great Tibetan empire which flourished in the seventh and eight centuries. It was during this period, when Tibetan influence reached into Central Asia, China, and India, that Buddhism was introduced and a written script developed for the language.

8) The Yarlung river
9) Shigatse
Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet is situated at the altitude of 12,600 ft. It is the famous city for its great Tashilhunpo Monastery - the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of Endless Enlightenment. Items of interest inside this monastery built in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama are: the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya, and a incredible collection of thanks, frescoes and statues. There is also a dynamic 'free' market where one can buy local handicraft embedded with coral and turquoise, Tibetan Daggers, Chinese pottery and yak butter. Since it is the second biggest city of Tibet, it is the center for transportation and distribution of agriculture and other products.

10) Tashilumpo Monastery
Tashilhumpo is a vast monastery with its own streets, housing sectors, plazas, back alleys and complex of temples and halls. It is located in the town of Sigatse and was founded by Gedun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelungpa Sect in Tibetan Buddhism. Gedun Drup was later recognized as the first Dalai Lama. The monastery was built in 1447 and continuously expanded by the subsequent Panchen Lamas. The Ngagpa College (Tantric College), one of its four monastic colleges, was the residence of the Panchen lamas. One of the most attraction of this monastery is the giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914 which took 4 years to complete. This twenty six meters tall statue is very big where lots of precious things like pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers were used with its 275 Kg. of solid gold.

11) Gyantse
12) Samye Monastery
13) Khumbum Chorten
14) Xegar
15) Zhangmu
16) Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar

People

The country's population of 600, 000 is composed of three main ethnic groups. The Sharchopas, who are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of Bhutan, live mostly in Eastern Bhutan and they are of Indo-Mongoloid origin. The Ngalops populate mostly Western Bhutan migrated from the Tibetan plains and are the importers of Buddhism to Bhutan. The Lhotsampas who are of Nepalese origin settled in the southern foothills of the country in the early twentieth century.

This ethnic diversity of the people has resulted in numerous dialects and languages that are spoken throughout the country. Dzongkha is the National language. English is the medium of instruction in schools and is widely spoken.

Geography

In geological terms, the creation of the Himalayas and the rising of the Tibetan plateau are extremely recent events. The mountains originated less than four million years ago, making them among the youngest in the world.

About 80 million years ago India broke away from an early massive proto continent. Slowly and steadily it moved across the ancient Sea of Tethys, collecting hard sheets of rock along the way. Eventually it rammed into the soft underside of Asia, which the rock easily penetrated and pushed up, creating the Himalayas. From sea level these mountains rose rapidly to a height of nearly 9,000 meters (30,000 feet). Today the succession of parallel ranges, running east to west for nearly 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles), reveals this original plate boundary between Indian and Asia. In fact, the movement of Sub-continental India is still forcing the Himalayas upwards at a rate of two centimeters ( 0.8 inches) per year in places.

The rivers of Tibet existed before the collision of India and Asia. As the soft sedimentary rocks that formed the bottom of the Sea of Tethys were folded up, the rivers were able to cut through them and maintain their original north-to-south course. (The Yarlong Tsangpo River is a major exception.) As a result there are many spectacular gorges and mountain ranges sliced up into individual massifs.

Much of Tibet, once well-forested, lush and fertile, is today one of the world's most terrifying, unforgiving places. As the Himalayas increased in height, less and less moisture reached the areas north of the range. The result has been a slow botanical death to the great northern plateau, the desertification of huge regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

There are three distinct geographical regions in Greater Tibet. By far the largest natural region is the northern plateau, of Chang Tang, an enormous expanse of over a million square kilometers (386,000 square miles). The second main geographical region of Tibet, the outer plateau, extends in a great arc for nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) from Baltistan in the west to beyond Xining, the capital of Qinghai, in the east. And the last not the least main geographical region is the southeastern plateau or 'river gorge country', comprising only one-tenth of the total area of Tibet. Plant and animal life here is vastly richer than in the other regions. Forest are very much a characteristic of the southeastern plateau; its western and northern boundaries follow the natural limits of trees.

Shannan located to the south of Gangtise ranges, altitude 3500 meters, average temperature 10?, cover an area of 7.35 square km with a population of more than 290,000, with its unique and marvellous historical culture, pure and Fascinating folklore customs, miraculous and charming natural scenes. Shannan always enjoys the high fame of " The roof of Tibetan People, The Cradle of The Tibetan Civilization" which is only in Tibet, and is the focus of the world's attention.

Climate

Tibet, due to its unique geographical characteristics, is cold in winter, cool in summer and generally dry, receiving only 450 millimeters ( 18 inches) of rain or snow. Sunlight is extremely intense. The thin air neither blocks nor holds heat, so sunshine feels warm, shadows are chilly, and temperatures can vary greatly within a day, exceeding 29 ( 84 F) in summer, and plunging below 4 ( 40 F) the same night. Lhasa's night-time lows in winter are around -9 ( 16 F). Th higher you go the colder it gets, and the winds in winter are ferocious. Rainfall in southern Tibet occurs intermittently between May and September, bringing moisture to barley fields and greenery to the valleys. The most pleasant months for tourism are from April to October.

Altitude, Atmosphere, Air Density and Boiling Point
Altitude(meter)
AtmosphericPressure (mb)
Air Density(g/ )
Oxygen Content
Boiling Point ( )

History

Tibet came under Chinese domination during the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty in 1720, but the territory regained its separate status in the late 19th century. China's communist regime regained control following the invasion of 1950; in 1959, China crushed a Tibetan uprising after Tibetan villages tried to resist the Chinese presence. Tibetan society has been organized around the fortress-like monasteries of Buddhist monks who paid allegiance to their supreme leader, the Dalai Lama. The Chinese wanted to modernize this feudal system, but the Tibetans clung to their traditions. In 1959, they proved no match for the Chinese armed forces: The Dalai Lama was ousted, and the monasteries were emptied. The Chinese destroyed much of Tibet's cultural heritage, looting the region of its religious treasures and works of art. Their harsh rule took a severe toll on Tibetan society, but after Mao's death in 1976 the Chinese relaxed their tight control.

Although amends were made (religious treasures were returned to Tibet, monastery reconstruction was permitted, and Buddhist religious life resumed), pro-independence rioting has been frequent since 1987, and the Chinese have again tightened their grip. Since its annexation in 1965, Tibet has been administered as an Autonomous Region.

Lhasa, the administrative and religious capital of Tibet, is actually divided into two distinct sections. The entire modern part surrounding the Potala palace has been built by the Chinese during the past 40 years. It is in these new block-shaped buildings with corrugated metal roofs that the majority of the Han (Chinese "proper") population lives. The Potala itself was mostly built by the "Great Fifth" Dalai Lama in the 17th Century and has been the residence of all successive Dalai Lamas up to the present 14th holder of the title.

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