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Lhasa
KNOWLEDGE OF Lhasa
Lhasa (Wylie: lha-sa; Simplified Chinese: 拉è?¨; Traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: LÄ?sà ), sometimes called Llasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It is also the traditional home of the Dalai Lama.
Lhasa literally means "Place of the gods", although ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was first called Rasa, which literally means 'courtyard place' or 'goat place'. Its altitude is about 3,650 m (12,000 ft), and its population about 200,000.
Legend has it that the second Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo (Srong-brtsan Sgam-po) made Lhasa his capital. But contemporary documents—e.g., The old Tibetan annals—show that the empire was ruled from a moving capital.
The city rose to prominence following the founding of three large Gelugpa (Dge-lugs) monasteries by Tsong-kha-pa and his disciples in the 15th century. The three monasteries are Ganden (Dga'-ldan), Sera (Se-ra), and Drepung ('Bras-spung).
The fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (Blo-bzang-rgya-mtsho) (1617–1682), conquered Tibet and moved the center of his administration to Lhasa. There, he started constructing the Potala Palace, which was finished some years after his death. During this time, Lhasa gained its unquestioned status as the political capital of Tibet.
In the first half of the 20th century, several western explorers made celebrated journeys to the city, including Francis Younghusband, Alexandra David-Néel and Heinrich Harrer. Lhasa was the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and nearly half of its population were monks. The population of Lhasa was estimated at 25,000 in 1951, excluding some 15,000 monks in area's monastaries. As of the early 2000s, the city's population stands at about 200,000, which is nearly seven times more than in 1959, when the population was approximately 30,000 [1]. For the history of the Lhasa since 1950, see Tibet.
Lhasa lies at 29°41.76′N 91°9.54′E in an area known as the "Lhasa Valley"; even though the average altitude of the valley is well over 3,000 m (10,000 ft), mountains around it rise to 5,500 m (18,000 ft). The Kyi (or Kyi Chu) River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, runs through the city. Depending on how the status of Tibet before 1950 is interpreted, Lhasa can be regarded as the highest national capital at that time, surpassing La Paz, Bolivia, which currently holds that distinction.
Lhasa literally means "Place of the gods", although ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was first called Rasa, which literally means 'courtyard place' or 'goat place'. Its altitude is about 3,650 m (12,000 ft), and its population about 200,000.
Legend has it that the second Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo (Srong-brtsan Sgam-po) made Lhasa his capital. But contemporary documents—e.g., The old Tibetan annals—show that the empire was ruled from a moving capital.
The city rose to prominence following the founding of three large Gelugpa (Dge-lugs) monasteries by Tsong-kha-pa and his disciples in the 15th century. The three monasteries are Ganden (Dga'-ldan), Sera (Se-ra), and Drepung ('Bras-spung).
The fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso (Blo-bzang-rgya-mtsho) (1617–1682), conquered Tibet and moved the center of his administration to Lhasa. There, he started constructing the Potala Palace, which was finished some years after his death. During this time, Lhasa gained its unquestioned status as the political capital of Tibet.
In the first half of the 20th century, several western explorers made celebrated journeys to the city, including Francis Younghusband, Alexandra David-Néel and Heinrich Harrer. Lhasa was the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and nearly half of its population were monks. The population of Lhasa was estimated at 25,000 in 1951, excluding some 15,000 monks in area's monastaries. As of the early 2000s, the city's population stands at about 200,000, which is nearly seven times more than in 1959, when the population was approximately 30,000 [1]. For the history of the Lhasa since 1950, see Tibet.
Lhasa lies at 29°41.76′N 91°9.54′E in an area known as the "Lhasa Valley"; even though the average altitude of the valley is well over 3,000 m (10,000 ft), mountains around it rise to 5,500 m (18,000 ft). The Kyi (or Kyi Chu) River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, runs through the city. Depending on how the status of Tibet before 1950 is interpreted, Lhasa can be regarded as the highest national capital at that time, surpassing La Paz, Bolivia, which currently holds that distinction.
Chapi