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Lhasa Tour of
Barkhor Street
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Located in the old area of
Lhasa City, Tibet, Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street
surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the Tibetan people are always
proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, this street is also a must-see
place for the tourists.
It's said that in 647, the first Tibetan King Songtsen
Gampo (617 - 650) built the Jokhang Temple. Due to its magnificence,
it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. As a result, a
trodden path appeared. That is the origin of Barkhor Street. Today
even still many pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise
there from dawn to dark. Also you can see some pilgrims walking or
progressing body-lengths by body-lengths along the street. Even some
of them are teenagers or have experienced thousands of miles' walk
to reach this sacred place. The way they express their piety could
make you understand the holiness of religion.
For tourists, Barkhor Street is a magical place showing
the original outlook of Lhasa. The street was paved by hand-polished
stone boards, and though it is not broad, it accommodates thousands
of tourists every day. Varied shops stand on both sides of the
street and thousands of floating stands are on every corner. Most of
them offer the prayer wheels, long-sleeve 'chuba' (the Tibetan
people's traditional clothes), Tibetan knives and some religious
articles for sale. Furthermore, some shops sell 'Thangka' (the
Tibetan scroll painting), which is a unique art of Tibet with the
themes of religion, history, literature, science and customs.
Surprisingly, there are some articles from India and Nepal in this
street as well.
To sum up, Barkhor Street is a place full of religious
atmosphere and a world of exotic articles. If you have been
attracted by it, you should go there. Believe your eyes, and you
will get a lot of surprise there.
Tips:
1. You should walk in a clockwise direction along the street.
2. It is better not stay too late in the street. Because there are
many lanes there, it's easy to lose your way in the evening.
3. Different vendors may sell the same thing at different price. So
you'd better ask several vendors and get more information of the
articles. Of course, you should also know how to bargain with them.
4. According to the tradition of Tibet, the vendor will give a
favorable price to the first customer and the last one in a day.
Tour Lhasa
with Great Wall Adventure Club, the best
Lhasa
tour agent to help
you with your hotel booking and transfers.
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