Travelin Tibet
Going in Circles
Traditionally the visitor to Lhasa, Tibet's capital,
will make three clockwise circuits of descending size, called koras, to establish his connection
to the spirit of the city. I arrived in a Rover full of French tourists and Chinese black marketeers
who had little concern for such things.
the Potala Palace
I settled into the Snowlands hotel
near the Jokhang temple. Like most of the cheaper hotels in Lhasa, the Snowlands was Tibetan owned. There was a hand pump in the courtyard where the local people did their laundry, occasionally had grand water fights, and sang. There are a lot of radios and tape players in Tibet, but nothing has taken the place of singing. Late at night you hear people in small groups walking home - and always it is happy songs.
The next day I started on my koras. The outer kora of Lhasa, the Lingkhor, circles
the old city, passing near the incredible Potala palace and a number of temples,
along with a relaxing walk along the river.
The second kora is the circuit around the
main temple, the Jokhang. This circuit, called the Barkhor, is an amazing
medley of all Tibet. It's just about the only place in Lhasa that feels Tibetan,
for most Chinese are afraid to come here. It's the basic market scene except
everyone's walking clockwise..... Well, almost everyone.
There are huge incense burners sending juniper smoke to the clouds and prostraters doing their strange movements - half exercise, half prayer. In the Barkhor you can buy everything from cheap plastic toys to endangered snow leopard pelts. Or just walk, soaking in the Tibetan vibe (also endangered).
the Barkhor market
The third kora is a loop around the inside of the central Jokhang temple. The Temple is a massive structure four stories tall. From the entrance a long line of Tibetan people proceed clockwise into a number of chambers off the main hall. Each chamber is dedicated to a particular Diety, a particular aspect of God. Each chamber has a very different atmosphere of statues and butter lamps, and a different feel. Everything is slow and ponderous, as if the temple was millions of years old instead of hundreds. Too old to be serious and self-important. Significant. Very significant.
Chenrezig - protector of Tibet
A Tibetan family took on the role of my guide for the second half of my visit, pointing to this statue and that with familiarity and love and with a flurry of words I could not understand. One small statue I recognized, for I had heard it's story:
A sacred lake had occupied this site originally (this is likely the source of the Snowland's water). The King promised his Nepalese - born wife that he would build a great temple here. When the men began filling the lake a small goat appeared and helped carry the earth until the work was done. This was taken as an omen and a statue of the goat was included in the temple.
Walking koras isn't limited to
the three famous ones, the Tibetans walk clockwise around any sacred site, reflecting
the movement of the earth, sun, and galaxy. I walked around the Potala, the
summer palace, and assorted temples, but when I tried to walk around the Iron
Mountain I met a bit of trouble.
The Dalai Lama's summer palace, the Norbulingka
The Iron Mountain, Champori, sits across from
the Potala and was the home of Lhasa's medical monastery until the Chinese
attacked in 1959. The Tibetans placed their few cannons up there and the
Chinese destroyed the place. Typically, the Chinese decided to place a giant
TV tower atop it instead of the monastery.
This was the home of Lopsang Rampa ("The Third
Eye", an early account of Tibet) and I wanted to kora it. The first portion
was part of the Lingkhor circuit and was easy going, but soon the path became
overgrown and it became clear that this kora was little used. Pushing on
I soon saw why - a Chinese army camp sat straddling my intended course.
The Army here, despite the situation, can
be extremely informal, so I walked in, making enough noise so it was clear
I was hiding nothing, but determined to complete my kora. Three soldiers
were lounging nearby. Through their gestures they showed that didn't want
me to go further. I tried to explain my purpose, again with gestures and
a few words, and even invited them to walk with me. Still no go.
Champori
At this point I suspected they weren't supposed to let me pass but really
didn't care, so I just started walking. The quick arrival of an officer changed that idea and I looked around for an excuse to back
out gracefully. I then saw why the camp was there, for
into the side of one of the most sacred mountains of Tibet the Chinese were
digging a tunnel.
I harangued them about this sacrilege
all the way back to the gate. In fact I was disturbed at
yet another Chinese attempt to demean the things of value to the people of
Tibet. (I found out much later this tunnel was built to store meat, yet
another affront to the Tibetans who are supposed to be vegetarians, although
they backslide a lot.)
I thought about it that night and wondered
if I should make some protest. The next day I again walked the Lingkhor to
the wonderful rock carvings at the base of Iron Mountain. The Tibetans passed
by, happily chatting and gently touching particularly loved
images, seemingly untroubled by the Chinese encampment nearby. As I walked onward I saw two stonecutters. These men were taking rocks blasted from the sacred mountain by the Chinese tunneling
and carving them into Mani (Jewel) stones - stones with little prayers or images for pilgrims to take to special sites all over Tibet.
These are indeed a special people.
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Nylam
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you are visiting Lhasa
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