Across the Himalaya

China’s Tibet has a border with Nepal. There is an old history that， despite of the towering Himalayas and challenging geographical state， Nepalese traders have reached Lhasa. King Songstan Gampo of Tubo Kingdom married Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal， Nepali artist Arniko Shakya’s Art exhibition and Lhasa’s Barkor Market are the chapters that acquaint Nepal in Tibet.

Buddhist Pilgrims were performing “Kora” in front of the Jokhang Temple of Lhasa； the witness of all above historical incidents. A Swiss tourist， who was busy capturing all the pilgrimage activities， exclaimed “Oh！ Heavenly pleasure！ Looking at me”， he asked， “Are you a Nepali？ Are you here for business？” I told him that I was just a tourist. After that， we had a long conversation. Meanwhile， I asked him if he had done some research on Tibet ahead of his visit？ To this， Mark said that once he had read about Lhasa in some books and， being a tourist， he loves to visit new places. Furthermore， he said reality was far diff erent than what he had read in books. The amalgamation of originality and progress amazed him a lot. Just then， he saw a group of Tibetans in their cultural attire. He rushed towards them with his camera. Later， I went inside the Jokhang Temple， which is in the center of Lhasa.

The Jokhang Temple also gives a background for Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Moving forward， I observed number of niches and rooms where sculptures of various historical and religious gurus， King Songstan Gampo with his queens， and idols of Buddha were attractively embellished.

After a while， I reached the roof of the monastery， where I could see numerous tourists taking photographs with Lhasa city and the Potala Palace as a background. Though I have got a few old photographs taken at the same place， I did not miss the chance to take new ones in my excitement. Looking at those old photographs， I feel my age， but the fame of the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple has not faded a bit.

Tibet， being a cultural and autonomous region， has also preserved the Buddha’s statues and Buddhist manuscripts which were once brought into Tibet by Princess Bhrikuti. The preservation and promotion of Buddhism done by the government of Tibet is appealing， and this was spread by a Nepali in ancient times. Moreover， Arniko’s artistic skill， which is still being conserved， has subdued Nepal and the Nepalese.

The Potala Palace is landmark of Tibet Autonomous Region and the foremost choice for tourists. The Palace was under maintenance during my fi rst visit， and I could witness only few rooms there. This time， however， with the proper management of transportation， I could go further. There was an abundance of domestic tourists， tourists from mainland China， and foreigners. Various rooms in the Palace， stupas of generations of Dalai Lama， various positioned Buddhas with preluded Buddha statues， and other Buddhist manuscripts were keenly observed by tourists， with some of them off ering prayers. After observing the Potala， we went to the Norbulinga， and then after observing the Dalai Lama’s summer Palace Norbulingka， we returned to our hotel.

The Tibet Museum of Lhasa provides plenty of information about historical and cultural facts of Tibetans. The modern and advanced management at the museum， which I heard a few European tourists commending， touches the heart of every visitor. In my point of view， this museum is the best place to understand Tibet’s pre-history to its present.

On my present visit， I had an opportunity to look at a Thangka school at the Barkor Street. I gathered lot of information regarding Thangka training from the students who were learning to make Thangka. I felt proud when one of the trainers of the school whose family was into Thangka teaching for nearly four generations explained that Thangka was originated in Nepal. The school has plenty of training exchange programs with other countries， and they have plans for an exhibition in Nepal very soon.

On the first week of November， I reached Lhasa. Due to falling temperatures and snow， the number of tourists has already decreased. There will not be as many tourists in December and January as in summer. Lhasa is one of the most desirable places for tourists worldwide. During the tourist season， hotels are packed with tourists both home and abroad. According to a Nepali staff member of one of the hotels， tourists sleep in the lobby during the main tourist season. The main reason behind the increased number in tourists is due to the government’s policy on preserving and promoting the local culture and their development. Widened roads， railways， well facilitated hotels， security and proper supervision for tourism has attracted tourists worldwide to visit Tibet. The local tourist industry has also greatly benefi tted from the progress.