Potala Palace

Norbulingka

Jokhang Temple

Trepung Monastery

Barhkore Street

Sera Monastery

Mt.Namcharbawa

Ranwu Lake

Except for the Western Buddhists who come on regular pilgrimages to the home of their spiritual leader, the Karmapa ("Man of Karma"), few trekkers have discovered the powerful beauty of Tshurphu monastery. The sprawling ruins of this monastic complex are set high in a tributary of the Tolung valley, just 40 miles (64 km) by road from Lhasa. A wild and scenic trek of 3 to 4 days originates from Tshurphu, crosses Lasaa La ("New Pass"; 17500 ft, 5330 m), then winds through a series of remote valleys to the seldom-visited Dorjeling ani gompa. The trek ends at the Yangpachan monastery, set in the vast Yangpachan Valley at the foot of the Nyanchhan Thanglha. Despite its proximity to Lhasa, this sparsely populated area provides a relatively undisturbed habitat where herds of blue sheep, Tibetan gazelle, and an occasional fox are not uncommon sights.

Tshurphu Monastery

The grand ruins of Tshurphu monastery (14700 ft, 4480 m) stretch magnificently across the base of a steep, scrub-covered ridge. This complex was once the seat of the Karmapa, the incarnate spiritual head of the Zhanagpa, or "Black Hat" Karma Kargyupa school of Buddhism. (The name is derived from the legendary black crown worn by the Karmapa, said to be made from the hairs of a million fairies and to possess magical powers. The crown is now stored at Rumtek monastery, in Sikkim.)

Tshurphu, one of the many great monastic institutions established around Central Tibet's leading religious teachers during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, was founded as a meditational retreat circa 1187 by Dusum Kyenpa, a lama from Kham who received his teachings from a disciple of the hermit ascetic Milarepa. Dusum Kyenpa is now regarded as the first Karmapa, beginning a lineage of truku that continues to this day. During the next five centuries Tshurphu grew into a great religious center. Like most of Tibet's large monasteries, it was eventually drawn into the political arena, leading to its destruction by Mongol armies in 1642 during a lengthy war between rivaling noble families in U and Tsang provinces. Tshurphu slowly rebuilt and gradually restored its status as an important Kargyupa center, nearly a thousand monks were in residence when the Chinese army arrived in the 1950s. foreseeing the plight of Tibet, the sixteenth Karmapa fled to Sikkim with a large retinue of disciples and many of the monastery's most important treasures. His new seat of power is at Rumtek monastery, 25 miles (40 km) from Gangtok, Sikkim's capital city.