Chinese soldiers marching in front of The Potala Palace, the former summer residence of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. In 1959 he fled to exile in India after a failed uprising against the Chinese regime in the capital Lhasa.
Where there exists hate there exists love.
Welcome to Tibet!
With an average elevation exceeding 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) and surrounded by the world's two highest summits, Mount Everest and K2. The Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as "the Roof of the World" , and spans 2.5 million km2.
Tibet is today officially called Tibet Autonomous Region and is a province-level autonomous region in Southwest China since 1965.
Tibet has an estimated population of 3,2 million, and about 90 % identify themselves as Tibetan. The population of the Tibetan people across the world is estimated to be 6 million.
A little Chinese boy is feeding the birds together with his mom in a park in Lhasa.
Chinese soldiers are watching everything that moves about in the city and you will see them on every street.
There is influence from both Chinese and Tibetan culture, and therefore some areas of Lhasa looks more Chinese than Tibetan.
There are many parks to enjoy the fresh air. Lhasa with altitude of 3650 meters is known to be one of the most stunning and highest capital cities in the world.
When you walk around Lhasa or any city or village you will see Tibetans carrying this artefact everywhere. Its a prayer wheel ( ma ni lag ´khor in Tibetan) and each spin of a prayer wheel sends blessings and prayers throughout the universe to benefit all being.
The cylinder contains a sacred text, the mantra “Om mani padme hum” and is usually translated to mean “The Jewel Is In The Lotus”. It is said to be one of the most powerful mantras, such that even saying it a single time can be enough for an experienced disciple to release negative karma, and achieve enlightenment!
The practitioner, most often spins the wheel clockwise, because that is the direction of which the mantras are written and the movement of the sun.
Religion is extremely important to the Tibetans and has a strong influence over all aspects of their lives. Tibetan Buddhism is the main religion and it’s also dominant in the regions surrounding the Himalayas (such as Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Sikkim and Mongolia). The best known face of Tibetan Buddhism is the Holiness Dalai Lama.
The Jokhang Temple (also known in Tibetan as the Tsuglhakhang) in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, is considered by most Tibetans to be the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The word “There stands Jokhang Temple before Lhasa is established” is widely spread among Tibetans, manifesting the particular statue of Jokhang Temple. There are many legends related to the origin of Jokhang Temple and Lhasa city.
The Jokhang is a UNESCO heritage site.
Yak butter candles burning inside the Jokhang. The temple is the ultimate pilgrimage destination in Tibet and recives thousands of pilgrims every year.
A Buddhist practising prostrations in front of the Jokhang temple.
In Tibet, prostration is a common religious practice. Tibetan people perform prostration in their home shrine in the early morning or when they enter monasteries, nunneries, holy mountains and stupas.
Prostration is performed by dropping the body forward and stretching it full length on the floor, with arms outstretched. Then bring the hands together and place them on the crown of the head, then to the mouth and finishing with the heart.
Paying attention, you will see small “shrines” everywhere.
An old man preforming sun salutation in the large city park in Lhasa.
The Tibetan Buddhist are known to be very devoted.
Prayer wheels are found all over the country and is a very important integrated part of the Tibetan culture.
Dominant mountains are surrounding Lhasa. When the sky is clear they majestically revile themselves.
Drinking alcohol is contrary to the beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism. But just as we see all over the world when living conditions are difficult, especially due to unemployment, there is an increase in addiction.
One of many Chinese solider patrols throughout the city.
“Above the clouds”.
Tibet is one of the most unique regions in the world. With the huge mountain masses, temperatures in Tibet change drastically from season to season, area to area, and even day to night.
In summer, the air is warm, and there is little need for heavy clothing even in some of the highest and most remote locations. The air at this height is thin, which allows more of the sun’s UV rays to penetrate to the ground level. This makes the sun feel warmer and stronger than at sea level areas with the same temperatures.
Village children are happy to see some new faces arriving, since tourism to the most remote areas of the country is not very common.
A young Tibetan girl in a mountain village.
The harsh weather conditions and high UV exposure puts it’s marks on their faces.
Vehicles in Tibet have to control their speed, even on highways. The highest speed limit on the roads is only 60 kph.
Prayer Flags blowing in the wind at Everest Base Camp Tibet, known as the North Base Camp at 5,150 metres.
Mount Everest at 8848 meter is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. The Tibetan name for Everest in Qomolangma which means “Holy Mother”.
In earlier days, before the Cultural Revolution, there were over 6000 monasteries in Tibet. Today there are around 85 fully functioning monasteries in the region. This picture is of the Sera Monastery, built in 1419, this complex of structure has gone through several restorations, but it still stands as one of the landmarks of Lhasa nowadays.
Inside the Sera monastery you can light candles and make an offering. The Monastery houses many precious relics, arts and scriptures. Such as “Ganggyur”, the most precious statue enshrined in the Coqen Hall, as well as the silk “Thangka painting” made with colorful silk thread in complicated embroidery techniques.
A munk sits in silence holding his Mala (prayer beads necklace).
Malas are used to help people focus one’s awareness and concentration during spiritual practice. Long malas have 108 beads. The summit or head bead is called the guru bead or a sumeru. In Tibetan Buddhism, one mala constitutes 100 recitations of a mantra. There are 8 additional recitations done to ensure proper concentration.
At Sera Monastery you can witness the philosophical debates of Tibetan Buddhist monks. The debate occur every afternoon in the debating courtyard. Debating is a part of the monks’ training and education. The debate is held in the presence of their teachers.
The roles of the debater and the questioner are well defined. The questioner has to thouroghly present his case related to Buddhist topics, and the defender has to answer within a fixed time frame.
During the debate, you’ll see monks debating vigorously by employing some gestures which presents the ambience of the occasion. Each gesture has the different meaning, and some of the gestures are said to have symbolic value.
Generally, you can see some typical dramatic gestures during the debate. Clapping hands means that the questioners are going to ask a question, or urge the defenders to answer the question quickly. Clapping hands loudly means to stress the power and decisiveness of the defender’s arguments denoting his self-assurance. Touching the Buddha beads means wishing for an inspiration from the Buddha. In case of wrong answer presented by the defender, the opponent gestures three circles with his hand around the defenders head followed by loud screaming to unnerve the defender. If opponents make a mistake, it is demonstrated by wrapping his upper robe around his waist. When the defender wins the debate, he will make an allegorical dig at the questioner by questioning his basic wisdom as a Buddhist.
An old Tibetan woman dressed in traditional clothing. The main clothing item is a robe, which they call Cuba.
Every Tibetan will usually have two sets of traditional dresses, one as the special dress for the festival and some social events like marriage, and another for daily use. Most of the time all the special dresses would be made from silk and cotton with an inner layer made out of a woolen blanket. Day to day clothes is made as per the climate, woolen for winter and cotton for summer use.
Ladders painted on rocks is not uncommon, they are symbolizing a spiritual stairway which can enable the seeker to ascend to higher realms of consciousness in the Quest of spiritual “perfection”.
Yaks belong to the family of the bison and water buffalo, known as Bovinae. Yaks are important for the Tibetans mainly because it is the only animal which almost every body part can be used.
The wool is significant for producing extremely warm clothes, meat is said to be very nutritious, the yak milk is used for making butter and cheese, or other dairy products. Sometimes the skulls and the tails are also used for medicinal purposes and they use living Yaks for trekking.
Tibetans refer to their land as Gangs-ljongs or Kha-ba-can meaning “Land of Snows”, although the climate is generally dry. Most of Tibet receives only 18 inches (460 mm) of rain/snow annually, with much of it falling during the summer months. The Himalayas act as a barrier to the monsoon winds from the south.
Horse racing has always been one of the favorite sports of Tibetan people. Horse racing festivals are held in the summer, when meadows are all covered with green soft grass.
The Tibetan pony is an ancient breed of small-statured mountain ponies, that are known for their strength and endurance.
Yak poo, also known as yak “dung” is a major source of fuel in the Tibetan countryside, and it’s widely used for cooking and heating. In the autumn and winter you will find stacks of dried yak dung near houses in most Tibetan villages.
Many Tibetans are wearing face masks due to air pollution. Once known ta have the cleanest air on earth, but that’s sadly not the case anymore. Air pollution is worse in the winter because there is no rain to wash pollutants from the air.
Even remote Tibet is influenced by modern western culture, and it is therefore common to see a mixture of traditional and western clothing.
The villagers come to the surrounding cities to trade their goods.
Traditional red headband and braid. Red commonly symbolises life force and preservation.
Two Buddhist Monks are strolling the streets of Shigatse, showing the integration of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and traditions in the modern street life.
Earlier street signs where written in Tibetan, and then in both Chinese and Tibetan. Today it is more common to find signs in only the Chinese language.
Tibetan Snooker is also called “Gyiren,” or billiards without ball arms. The game become popular in Lhasa in the 1940s. It is played all over the country and has become a folk sport.
Some of the landscape is described as a high-altitude desert, where weather conditions makes it difficult for vegetation to grow.
It is common to find tiny temples in the mountainsides across the country.
Villagers sorting their crops.
The 1st floor of a Tibetan home.
Tibetans are known to love colours and all the colours have a special meaning. Blue means space, white means air, yellow means earth, green means water and red means fire.
The 2nd floor inside a Tibetan home, where you can find more colours and paintings.
The landscape of Tibet is know across the world for it’s serene beauty, and artists have captured it since the first travellers crossed into these remote areas.
I visited Tibet in early 2012, but even today, 8 years later Tibet is a political hot spot.
You need a Tibet Entry Permit and extra Permits are required to visit other regions beyond Lhasa. No individual traveler’s are allowed to travel to Tibet at the moment. All tours must be booked in advance by a Chinese travel agency and your whole tour in Tibet must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide, including transportation. The most you can do independently is to wander around the city of Lhasa or go to a restaurant.
We were lucky to have a Tibetan guide who dared to be outspoken. Guides and guests are watched closely by the Chinese authorities both at the monasteries, in the cities and inside tour vehicles. When you arrive and leave the country you need to be prepared for your luggage to be inspected.
The Tibetan flag, also known as the "snow lion" (gangs seng dar cha) has been banned by the Chinese government since 1959. The flag has not been in official use by any region in the world since 1951. However it is used by the Tibetan Government in Exile.
This picture was taken in McLeod Ganj is a suburb of Dharamshala in India, also called “Little Lhasa” or “Dhasa”. It’s the home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans. The Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered in McLeod Ganj today.
To learn more about Tibet check: https://www.freetibet.org/about
Free Tibet!