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Lhasa, capital of
the Tibet Autonomous Region, covers
an area of 544 square kilometers and
is "The Land of Gods" in Tibetan,
sits on the north bank of River
Lhasa, a tributary of the Yarlung
Tsangbo River, at an altitude of
3,700 meters. It has a history of
over 13 centuries. With more than
3,000 hours of sunshine annually,
Lhasa is famed as " the City of
Sunshine". It is the capital of
Tibet Autonomous Region and the
center of Tibet's political,
economic, cultural and religious
activities. There are many historic
sites and famous relics in the city
proper and its suburbs, among which
the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple,
Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery
and Ganden Monastery are world
famous.
Before the mid-seventh century when
Lhasa, later a central town of
Tibetan region, was yet to come into
being, the area called Wotang was a
marshy land of wildness, frequented
by antelopes. On one bright summer
day, Songtsan Gampo, leader of the
Tubo tribe that had risen to power
in the Yarlung River Valley, was
struck by the perilous position of
an area flanked by two steep
mountains, while bathing in the
Lhasa River, and decided that this
was to be the home of his kingdom.
This ambitious Tibetan king moved
the center of his rule to Wotangccc
and ordered the construction of his
residence on the hilltop of Potala.
In 641 A.D., Songtsan Gampo who by
this time had conquered the whole
Tibetan region wedded Princess
Wencheng of the Imperial Tang Court.
When the princess arrived, she
became convinced that Lake Wotang
was a devil's heart to be
overpowered by the construction of a
grand temple after filling up the
lake with earth. The princess
further suggested that the earth be
carried by white goats. This
imposing grand temple became a
symbol of the kingdom. The temple,
later known as Jokhang, was
initially named Lhasa, "the Sacred
Land" in Tibetan. Over the
centuries, Lhasa became a political
and religious center of Tibet.
Administrative orders were issued
from the myriad of imposing palaces;
the great temples and monasteries
were home to omnipotent liturgical
establishment and witnessed the rise
of many religious leaders and
endless religious ceremonies. The
faithful composed the population of
the town and Lhasa became a true
"Mecca" of Tibet.
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