Lhasa - Tibet - page 91

Barkhor Circuit PILGRIM CIRCUIT
For your first few visits to the Barkhor circuit, it's best to let yourself be dragged along by
the centrifugal tide of pilgrims, but there are also several small, fascinating temples to pop
into en route.
As you follow the flow of pilgrims past sellers of religious photos, felt cowboy hats and
electric blenders (for yak-butter tea!), you'll soon see a small building on the right, set off
from the main path. This is the Mani Lhakhang ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) , a small chapel that
houses a huge prayer wheel set almost continuously in motion. To the right of the building
is the grandiose entrance of the former city jail and dungeons, known as the Nangtse Shar.
If you head south from here, after about 10m you will see the entrance to the Jampa
Lhakhang ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) , also known as Jamkhang or Water Blessing Temple, on
the right. The ground floor of this small temple has a huge two-storey statue of Miwang
Jampa, the Future Buddha, flanked by rows of various protector gods and the meditation
cave of the chapel's founder. Pilgrims ascend to the upper floor to be blessed with a
sprinkling of holy water and the touch of a holy dorje (thunderbolt).
Continue down the alley following the prayer wheels, then pass through a doorway into
the old Meru Nyingba Monastery ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) . This small but active monas-
tery is a real delight and is invariably crowded with Tibetans thumbing prayer beads or
lazily swinging prayer wheels and chanting under their breath. The chapel itself is admin-
istered by Nechung Monastery, which accounts for the many images of the Nechung or-
acle inside. The building, like the adjoining Jokhang, dates back to the 7th century, though
most of what you see today is recently constructed.
On the west side of the courtyard up some narrow stairs is the small Sakyapa-school
Gongkar Chöde chapel ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) . Below is the Zhambhala Lhakhang (
MAP GOOGLE MAP ) , with a central image of Marmedze (Dipamkara), the Past Buddha,
and a small inner kora path. From here you can return north or head east to join up with
the Barkhor circuit.
The eastern side of the circuit has more shops and even a couple of small department
stores that specialise in turquoise. In the southeast corner is a wall shrine and a darchen (
MAP GOOGLE MAP ) (prayer pole), which mark the spot where Tsongkhapa planted his
walking stick in 1409.