Two days following the Yarlung Tsampo (Brahmaputra) along the grassy plains and down an impressive white water gorge brought us to Lhasa. We stopped off to say "Hello" to the medicine Buddha on the way - A massive carved and painted Buddha on a cliff face 10km outside the capital. From there the surroundings became more and more built up, first passing Mastiff kennels and industrial units, then slum housing, a development zone and finally a long avenue filled with car dealerships and upmarket businesses. We detoured to the old road to enter the city via the West Gate and the Potala. We stopped for a photo in front for the Potala, the old residence of the Dalai Lama. Before we could even set up the camera some monks rushed over so they could have their photo taken with us and our bikes for their friends.
After a bit of searching we found a suitably sunny room in the Tibetan part of town, minutes away from the ancient streets of the Barkhor circuit and the Jokhang Temple. The Barkhor circuit is the kora of the temple and winds through market-stall packed streets selling everything from monk's outfits to brightly coloured religious antiques (mostly recently made in workshops around the corner). At the front of the Jokhang, behind a large incense burner and the huge flagpoles, there are hundreds of people prostrating themselves as hundreds of others queue to enter the temple. Tourists (who pay to enter) bypass most of the queue and are ushered in by security guard. However, as there is nothing to explain this it took us a while to work out how to get in.
Parts of the building date from the 7th century and as you enter the courtyard you are greeted by dancing ladies, monks and an offering vessel into which yak butter tea (we think) is poured. The sound of people murmuring prayers and singing along with the throng of the atmosphere is amazing. The Tibetans fervour to gain entry results in a lot of pushing and barging as children and religious relics are pushed through the crowd. Offerings in the form of yak butter, yak butter tea, sacks of rice or money are all brought into the inner sanctum, a three storey enclosed courtyard containing the main assembly hall. Here there are rows of benches where the monks sit and chant prayers in front of giant golden Buddha's. When the monks aren't praying, their habits sit on the benches each looking like the sorting hat from Harry Potter.
Round the edges of the inner sanctum there are dozens of small chapel rooms each containing statues of various enlightened beings from Buddha's to past Kings of Tibet. Some of them looked pretty scary to us even though they were all benevolent in Tibetan folklore. Each room had at least one yak butter lamp to which worshippers added their own yak butter offering and somewhere to make a monetary contribution. People pressed their heads against the icon or against the glass if it was encased.
The smell of the burning yak butter, incense and pilgrims was quite stifling but the atmosphere was nonetheless enchanting. Photos were not allowed in the temple but every inch of every surface was covered in elaborate carving or decoration- you'll have to come and see it for yourselves!
Visit border cycling for more information on guided cycle trips.
