Lhasa

Lying amidst marshy valley, girdled with mountain peaks, Lhasa is the most fascinating capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Lhasa enjoys the privilege of being one of the most elevated cities in the world perched on an altitude of 3,760 m, above the banks of the Lhasa River. The awe-inspiring splendor, unique panorama and the divine atmosphere are the main attractions of the city. Lhasa was founded by the King Songtsan Gampo in 633 AD. In Tibetan, Lhasa means "The land of the Gods", or "Holy Place".
With a population of 400,000, of which 87% are Tibetans, the city is thronged with many Buddhist monasteries and was also once the seat of the Dalai Lama.

The flocks of pilgrims had made their pilgrimage to the city for centuries. The visitors from all over the world have been spellbound to explore this resounding city and its mysterious culture as well. Its breathtaking tableau, deep-rooted Buddhist culture, and marvelous Buddhist temples and monasteries make it the most captivating site.

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Lhasa enjoys adorable weather throughout all seasons with maximum of sunshine, therefore it is also known as "The Sunshine City".
The temperatures diversify extremely during night and day, but remain fairly uniform during the year. Winters are neither severely cold, nor summers unbearably hot.

As the weather and tourism facilities in these places are quite good, so one can luxuriating in the awe-inspiring splendor of Lhasa throughout the year.

Lhasa Temptations
Dragon King Pool
Amidst large park behind the Potala Palace is located the Dragon King Pool. The Dragon King is said to be man-made pool created by digging out the enormous amount of earth-mud for the construction of the Potala Palace.
The main attraction of Dragon King lies in its 4-story pavilion, constructed on an island amidst the lake housing a temple dedicated to the Dragon King. The pool is encompassed by the beautiful gardens that have become extremely popular among the locals. During the summer time one can enjoy boating on the lake and in the winter it is perfect for ice-skating.

Potala Palace
The world famous Potala Palace is located on "Red Hill", with its 13-story palace, standing 117 m high and has over 1000 rooms. It covers an area of 130000-sq. m.
The Potala has been a hallowed place for many centuries, thousands of devotees from Tibet, other parts of China and abroad come every year to pay their homage.

The Jokhang Temple
The Jokhang is the spiritual center of Tibet and the holiest destination for all Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. The temple is situated in the center of old Lhasa and was originally built in 647 AD. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet, China and Nepal showcasing a unique combination of different architectural artistry.

The main attraction of the temple is the oldest and most precious-sitting statue of Sakyamuni. The 3-layered roof of the Jokhang offers splendid views of the Barlchor Streets across the Potala Palace. The exquisite carving of the birds, beasts, bells and other intricate figures on the golden roof is worth a sight.

Norbulingka, or "Jewelled Garden"
Norbulingka was the site of the Dalai Lamas' summer palace. Each successive Dalai Lama visited the park during the summer season, and carried out all their religious and political affairs from there.
The New Summer Palace constructed by the 14th Dalai Lama is of special interest to its visitors. It is located amidst the Norbulingka.

Ramoche temple
Ramoche temple is located at a distance of 45 km from Lhasa and it covers an extensive area with many shrines and structures. It was the leading Gelukpa monastery crowned at an altitude of 3800m and was constructed by Tsongkhapa ruler. Looking from distance, Gandan monastery looks very much like a castle and the Wanpur Mountain resembles like a sitting elephant with the Gandan Monastery on its back.

Mode of Transportation
By Air
Lhasa Gonga Airport is 100km from the Lhasa City, located at Gonga in South East of Lhasa. From the airport one can take the public bus for the Lhasa City.
All the airlines to Tibet are hold by China South-West Airlines. There are no air routes within Tibet.

By Road
The main bus station is at the edge of Minzu Lu, towards the south of Norbulingka. There are regular buses from Lhasa to Golmud, Tsedang and Shigatse, the buses run are luxury Japanese vehicles.
Tourist can also travel by bus or taxi, on local or long-distance routes or can take land-cruiser tours from Lhasa. One can also hire or buy bicycles for city sightseeing.

Eating Joints in Lhasa
In Lhasa travelers can easily find places to eat and drink. There are diversified restaurants, quite flourishing in Lhasa, to gratify its visitors from every corner of the world. Most of these eating joints are cluster around the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor. Aloo Gang located on Dosengge Lu serves veggie food, yak butter tea and soup.
Duosingger Lu- night market is another place of attraction where you can have a enjoy th traditional food and drink of the city in a reasonable cost.

Entertainment and Hangout Zones
Thriving disco bars and Karaoke bars are becoming usual entertainment in Lhasa. The city also has a cinema hall at Yuthok Lu. Langma Opera is another most preferred joint where Tibetan dances and songs from Kham and Amdo and sometimes-Indian dances are performed. Staying at Kailash, Makye Ame, Tashi restaurants to enjoy pop music and share travel stories is also a good choice. Nightclubs can also be easily found near Snowlands Hotel.

Main Events
Gyantse Horse Race / Archery ---(May / June)
Horse race and archer are popular sports in Tibet, along with Gyantse, which was started in 1408. Many contests are held in the city like-- horse race, archery, and shooting on gallop followed by a few days' entertainment of price distribution. Ball games, track and field events, folk songs and dances, barter trade are also the great source of attraction besides the above events.

Saga Dawa Festival ---(May / June)
The festival is the mark of Buddha's birth and Buddha's enlightenment and is considered to be the holiest festival of all. Devotees join in circumambulating round the city and later on spend their evenings at " Dzongyab Lukhang" park at the foot of Potala.

Tibetan New Year ---(February or March)
It is one of the most auspicious festivals in Tibet. During the olden times when the peach tree was in full blossom, it was considered as the starting of a New Year. Since starting of the Tibetan Calendar in 1027 the first day of the first month became fixed as the New Year. On this auspicious day "auspicious dipper" is offered and the auspicious words " tashi delek" are greeted.