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Tibet General
Information
Tibet the Land of Snows, the roof of the world. For
centuries this mysterious Buddhist kingdom, locked away in
its mountain fastness of the Himalaya, has exercised a
unique hold on the imagination of the West. For explorers,
imperialists and traders it was a forbidden land of treasure
and riches. Dreamers on a spiritual quest have long
whispered of a lost Shangri-la, steeped in magic and
mystery. When the doors were finally flung open in the
mid-1980s, Tibet lay in ruins. Between 1950 and 1970, the
Chinese wrested control of the plateau, drove the Tibetans’
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and some 100, 000 of
Tibet’s finest into exile and systematically dismantled most
of the Tibetan cultural and historical heritage, all in the
name of revolution. For a while images of the Buddha were
replaced by icons of Chairman Mao. Today, Tibetan pilgrims
across the country are once again mumbling mantras and
swinging their prayer wheels in temples that are heavy with
the thick intoxicating aroma of juniper incense and yak
butter. Monasteries have been restored across the country,
along with limited religious freedoms. A walk around Lhasa’s
lively Barkhor pilgrimage circuit is proof enough that the
efforts of the communist Chinese to build a brave new (roof
of the) world have foundered on the remarkable and inspiring
faith of the Tibetan people.
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