Lhasa - Samye

In the morning, we make our way into the absolute heart of Tibet - Jokhang Temple. People travel for days even months to worship the temple as to get away of their sins. An English-speaking lama will guide us through the holy temple.

Jokhang temple was constructed by King Songtsen Gampo starting in the year 639. This temple has remained a center of Buddhist pilgrimage for centuries. In the past several centuries the temple complex was expanded and now covers an area of about 25,000 sq. meters. Jokhang temple complex has several decorated shrines and rooms. The main hall of the temple houses the Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha statue, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. There are also statues of King Songtsan Gambo and his two famous foreign brides, Princess Wen Cheng (daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang China) and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal.

After lunch we will go shopping. The Barkhor Street around the Jokhang Temple has a variety of Tibetan goods. You should also make your way to Chongsaikang Market just around the corner, which is the busiest local market in the old town where you find a lot of fancy goods and handcrafts sold by very interesting people.

Later we will drive three hours to Samye Temple, the earliest Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Built during the reign of the Tibetan King Trisun Detsan in the middle of the 8th century, it has a history of more than 1,200 years. Located at the foot of Habort Mountain on the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River in Chanang County, it looks spectacular and magnificent.

It boasts many Tibetan cultural relics and historical artifacts. After the completion of the construction, the first batch of Tibetans was tonsured and became monks. Samye Monastery therefore became the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

The central building of Samye, its foremost feature, comprises a mixture of architectural styles: the ground and first floors were originally Tibetan in style, the second floor was Chinese and the third floor was Indian. We stay overnight at the temple inn or camp in the fields beside Yagong River.