Tibetan autonomy, or Xizang, as it is called by the Chinese, is the third largest region of the PRC. The historical capital of Tibet is the city of Lhasa. Autonomy is high above the sea level, on the Tibetan Plateau, the largest and highest in the world. This is the origin of the great rivers of India and China - the Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze, Huang He. Specific, unusual and mysterious Tibet - a place where travelers reach the state of spiritual catharsis. It is popular, attractive, it can not be forgotten.
Unique country
Tourist popularity of Tibet is based on its ancient history, religion - without knowing basic information about this state, it is impossible to fully enjoy the charm of its nature and architecture. Everything created by man-made and superior forces gives the country its charm.
More or less accurate data indicate the emergence of the first Tibetan state in the valley of the Yarlung River (hence the name of the ruling dynasty - Yarlungskaya) in the 3rd century AD. And already since the VII century the history of Tibet appeals with specific names, figures, details. From that time to the present, the original fragments, which are part of the design of the famous monasteries, have been preserved. Time and wars did not spare the unique buildings of a unique culture. But restored, they attract tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. The complex, which the capital of Tibet possesses and is proud of, is under the protection of UNESCO. The peculiarity of Tibetan culture and faith is explained not only by its inaccessibility and closeness to the outside world, but also by territorial location - Tibet borders on such distinctive countries as India, Nepal and China. Historically, he was under the strong influence of Mongolia for a long time.
The great king of Tibet
Each country during its existence there was a strong leader, a bright personality. The state during his reign blossomed, expanded, became dominant in the region. In the 7th century AD Tibet had the wise ruler Songtsen Gampo (604-650). He united under his power a disparate province. Two of his wives, a Chinese and Nepalese princess, were brought to the country together with the Buddha statues given to them in dowry, and Buddhism itself. The quarrels with neighbors who became relatives, for the time subsided. Under the influence of Wenchan Chinese wives and Bhikuti non-wrinkles, later reincarnated in Green and White Tara, the main goddess of Buddhism, the capital of Tibet was transferred to Lhasa (from the Tibetan - "abode of the gods" or "divine place"), which turned into a stronghold in this region Buddhism. For two statues in Lhasa, the ruler was built two temples - Jokhang and Ramoche. Repeatedly reworked, they exist now and represent the VII century. In addition, having chosen Red Mountain, Songtsen Gampo built a nine-story 999-room palace on it, from which a cave has survived to this day, where the ruler meditated in seclusion. Here flow of tourists desiring to be imbued with the wisdom of centuries and enjoy the triumph of the Spirit.
The War of Confessions
Now on this place stands the legendary Potala. Three of these buildings are included in the complex, which is under the tutelage of UNESCO. The capital of Tibet Lhasa, 250 years after the death of Songtsen Gampo, was the mainstay of the Yarlung dynasty. But Buddhism was popular here only among a small aristocratic stratum, whereas the overwhelming mass of Tibetans professed the blessings of the ancestors. Religious differences and served as the main reason for the collapse of the centralized Tibetan state. However, Buddhism, on the contrary, began to gain popularity, acquiring new distinctive features. In Europe, this teaching firmly established itself under the name of Lamaism, representing an interweaving of the philosophy of Buddhism and faith in mysterious magic. It is also called the Tibetan-Mongolian form of Mahayana, the northern branch of Buddhism or its late form.
The emergence of Buddhism in these territories
As a state form, Lamaism is a church country, headed by a priest, called here the Dalai Lama. The capital of Tibet from the XIII century - a stronghold of Lamaism, which penetrated into certain regions of Mongolia, Nepal, India and China.
Buddhism in Tibet gained popularity primarily through the construction of cult monasteries, the first of which was Samye. He was built in 770 by the efforts of Tisong Decen, 38 king of Tibet. After that, the then capital of Tibet lost the importance of the main city of the state. But even today this place is one of the main and popular points of the tourist route.
Revival after the Mongol invasion
In the XI century, the country began to revive, but the Mongols invading its territory in 1239 destroyed most of the monasteries. In time, the conquerors who settled here also accepted Buddhism. And when in 1350 the monk Janchub Gyaltsen (the first student of the Sakya school) began to restore them, they willingly helped him. At the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries, the Gelug school (true) began to gain popularity in Tibet and increase its influence. The monasteries Ganden, Drepung and Sara built by her become places of pilgrimage. The ancient city of Lhasa, the capital of high Tibet, becomes the center of a new religion, for the formation and flourishing of which much has been done by the Dalai Lama V, named Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso the Great (1617-1682). Judging by the word "great", one can imagine how much he did for Tibet. On the spot burnt as a result of the lightning of the palace on Red Mountain, he began to build a pearl of world architecture - the Potala Palace, which according to the plan was to become the residence of lamas and their tomb. To date, the palace is the calling card of Tibet, its symbol.
The legendary palace
Potala is a mountain in South India. According to Buddhist legends, it is inhabited by Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezi), from which the entire Tibetan people came. The Dalai Lama is the earthly incarnation of the Bodhisattva. And, naturally, the palace was named Potala, and it became the residence of the religious rulers of Tibet until the 1950s when the Chinese troops occupied Tibet, and the XIV Dalai Lama was forced to emigrate to India. New mansions began to erect during the reign of V Dalai Lama, in 1645, at the place where once stood 9-tiered castle Songtsena Gampo. Since that time only the legendary cave of Fa-Wan has been preserved in the palace, where he, the great king of Tibet, read the sacred texts. The unique structure on the top of the mountain is, as it were, its continuation, going to heaven. Now the two-colored handsome man is taken under guard (several monks live there) and is a historical and architectural monument, serving mainly to attract tourists to Tibet. Lhasa, open to visitors only in 1980, is now a popular tourist destination.
China is doing everything to increase the flow of tourists
China is paying great attention to tourism . The unique Tibetan autonomy with the capital of Lhasa is a treasure that becomes a tourist mecca. Of course, open to visits only recently, Tibet for a long time was a completely non-public religious center. There is no such a powerful infrastructure designed for an endless stream of visitors, as, say, in Switzerland - the oldest resort center in the world. But lost time quickly catching up. Already now, Lhasa, the historical capital of Tibet, has tourist complexes corresponding to the best world standards. You can name a few high-class five-star hotels, the best of the 296 existing hotels in the capital of Tibet. It is Shangri-La, which is only 700 meters from the Norbulingka Palace and the Museum of Tibet. It is followed by an unusually beautiful St. Regis Lhasa Resort. It is not inferior to them Shambhala Palace and Tashitakge Hotel.
A trip to Tibet is available to many
But these are the "best of the best" hotel complexes in the center of the capital, within walking distance of the main attractions of Lhasa. The entire tourism system in Tibet is thought through to the smallest detail. There are hotels with very democratic prices, as well as a flexible system of benefits, for example with food coupons, free cancellation of reservations, discounts on air tickets and much more. The overwhelming number of hotels have very high ratings and good reviews. Now Lhasa is called - the "city of hotels". But this is also a city of unique sights. These include the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, Berkhor Street and Drepung Monasteries, Sara, Ganden, Trugo and Tsanggu Convent. The list of main attractions will be incomplete without the Abbey of the Pillar and the tombs of the early Tibetan kings.