Lhasa Attractions

The foundation of the town coincided with the birth of Tibetan Buddhism. After becoming Songtsen Gambo's third wife, the Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti, a Buddhist, founded Jokhang, the oldest temple in town. The importance of this building and of Buddhism further increased, when the Chinese Princess Wen Chang came to the court as Songtsen's fourth wife. Under the great reformer, Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the Drepung Monastery outside Lhasa became the main seat of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism), and here, too, the institution of the Dalai Lama began. Lhasa kept its historic appearance until the military intervention of Chinese troops in 1959 who forced the 14th Dalai Lama to flee. Apart from a few places such as the Potala Palace and the last remaining parts of the old town around the Jokhang, the town today resembles any other provincial Chinese town.