Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Palha Lu-puk (next to Drubthub Nunnery) is an atmospheric cave temple said to have been
the 7th-century meditational retreat of King Songtsen Gampo. The main attraction of the
cave is its relief rock carvings, some of which are over a thousand years old, making them
the oldest religious images in Lhasa. Altogether there are over 70 carvings of bodhisattvas
here; the oldest images are generally the ones lowest on the cave walls. Songtsen Gampo
is depicted on the west side.
The yellow building above the Palha Lu-puk is a chapel that gives access to the less in-
teresting meditation cave (
drub-puk
) of King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife, Princess
Wencheng.
Lukhang Temple
BUDDHIST, TEMPLE
The Lukhang is a little-visited temple on a small island in a lake, behind the Potala in the
pleasant Dzongyab Lukhang Park. The Lukhang is celebrated for its 2nd- and 3rd-floor
murals, which date from the 18th century. Bring a torch (flashlight).
The lake was created during the construction of the Potala. Earth used for mortar was
excavated from here, leaving a depression that was later filled with water.
Lu
(also known
as
naga
) are subterranean dragonlike spirits that were thought to inhabit the area, and the
Lukhang, or Chapel of the Dragon King, was built by the sixth Dalai Lama to appease
them (and also to use as a retreat). You can see Luyi Gyalpo, the
naga
king, at the rear of
the ground floor of the Lukhang. He is riding an elephant, and protective snakes rise from
behind his head. The
naga
spirits were finally interred in the nearby Palha Lu-puk.
The 2nd-floor murals tell a story made famous by a Tibetan opera, while the murals on
the 3rd floor depict different themes on each of the walls - Indian yogis demonstrating yo-
gic positions (west), 84
mahisaddhas
or masters of Buddhism (east), and the life cycle as
perceived by Tibetan Buddhists (north), with the gods of Bardo, the Tibetan underworld,
occupying its centre. Look for the wonderful attention to detail, down to the hairy legs of
the sadhus and the patterns on the clothes.
The 3rd floor contains a statue of an 11-headed Chenresig and a meditation room used
by the Dalai Lamas. To reach the 3rd floor, walk clockwise around the outside of the
building and enter from the back via a flight of stairs (access was closed during our last
visit). Finish off a visit with a kora of the island.
