Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Lhasa

Threre start four trains from Lhasa each day, two to Xining and two to Beijing

The Lhasa passenger railway station is large compared to current needs as it has four track serving two island platforms, all undercover of an overall roof. There is room for one more island platform and three more tracks.

A strict security check is necessary before boarding the train coach The departure indicator shows the next four trains, in both Chinese and Tibetan, though the headings are in Chinese only. The times and train numbers are in Latin alphanumeric characters.

It opened to regular trial service on 1st of July 2006. The Potala Place was the guideline for the construction of the station building.

Being the furthest from Lhasa of the three university monasteries, Ganden traditionally had a smaller population with some 6,000 monks in the early 20th century (although Waddell reports an estimate of about 3,300 in the 1890s and there were, apparently only 2,000 in 1959. Ganden Monastery consisted of two principal original colleges, Jangtse and Shartse, meaning North Peak and East Peak respectively. The three main sights in the Ganden Monastery are the Serdung, which contains the tomb of Tsongkhapa, the Tsokchen Assembly Hall and the Ngam Cho Khang the chapel where Tsongkhapa traditionally taught. The monastery houses artifacts which belonged to Tsongkhapa. It contained more than two dozen major chapels with large Buddha statues. The largest chapel was capable of seating 3,500 monks. Tenzin Gyatso, the present Dalai Lama (born 1935), took his final degree examination in Ganden in 1958 and he feels he has a particularly close connection with Tsongkhapa. Ganden Monastery was completely destroyed during the rebellion of 1959. In 1966 it was severely shelled by Red Guard artillery and monks then had to dismantle the remains. Most of Tsongkhapa's mummified body was burned but his skull and some ashes were saved from the fire by Bomi Rinpoche, the monk who had been forced to carry the body to the fire. Re-building has been continuing since the 1980s and the "red-painted lhakang in the centre is the reconstruction of Ganden's sanctum sanctorum containing Tsongkapa's reliquary chorten called the Tongwa Donden, 'Meaningful to Behold. In the monastery were about 3000 monks leaving before the place was destroyed by the chinese invators. Now is restorated and rebuild and many monks return to the place (for tourism?!?!)

Jimmy, our tour guide and myself. This was the only room inside the Potala where it was allowed to photograph, three years later Aug.2007 the same room was closed and inside the building nowhere could capture picture anymore, the room was closed for the public.

Monks took place as an audience to look to the people making the Kora around the Holy Jongkar Monastery.

Drepung was known for the high standards of its academic study, and was called the Nalanda of Tibet, a reference to the great Buddhist monastic university of India. This temple was also destoyed by the Chinese invators (and the English agressors before!) Now a place for thousands tibetian pilgrims and international tourist.

The Potala gives the impression not of having been built by man but have grown there, so perfectly does it fit in with its surroundings. It has the pleasing lack of symmetry of a great tree or mountain, yet this apparent aimlessness is focused, first by the red central block and then by the golden pavilions on the roof, so that the eye is naturally led from the less important to the essential, both visually and spiritually; for in so much as the gilded roofs over the mortal remains of the Dalai Lamas are the dominant figure of the architecture, so is the incarnate spirit of these rulers the very soul of Tibet.

I came to the Potala the second time two years later in Aug. 2007. It isn't allowed anymore to climb to Potalas rooftop, this capture is unique.