Lhasa — Potala & Jokhang

Lhasa — “Place of the Gods” — is the spiritual capital of Tibet and the centre of Tibetan Buddhist civilisation. The Jokhang Temple, built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo, is the most sacred temple in Tibet and houses the Jowo Shakyamuni — a statue of the Buddha at age 12 considered the most precious in the Tibetan world. The Barkhor, the ancient pilgrimage circuit around the Jokhang, is perpetually alive with pilgrims performing prostrations, monks chanting, and incense smoke rising. The Potala Palace, the former winter residence of the Dalai Lamas and perhaps the most iconic structure in the Himalayan world, towers above the city from the Red Hill. Despite decades of occupation and cultural destruction, Lhasa remains the heart of Tibetan identity and aspiration.