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echnology, in the form of high-speed trains that negotiate some of the

highest mountain passes in the world, is breaking down the very barriers
that made Tibetan society extraordinarily resistant to change. Text &
Photographs by S!"# $#"#%&'(#$
THE Tibetan plateau is one of the most isolated places in the world, surrounded
as it is by formidable mountain ranges on three sidesthe 2,500-kilometre-long
wall of the Himalayas to the south, the arakoram range to the west, and the
unlun and !ltyn Tagh ranges to the north" #our of our planet$s %0 tallest peaks
straddle its border with &epal" The snow-laden peaks and the lakes in Tibet are
the sources of almost all the ma'or ri(ers of !sia, including the )ndus, the
*anga, the +rahmaputra, the ,utle', the -ekong, the ,alween, the .angt/e and
the Hwang Ho" Tibet is also home to some of the e0tremely cold wildernesses
outside the polar regions" -ost of Tibet is abo(e 5,000 metres in altitude and
there are teetering mountain passes leading to 1hasa and other (alleys" -uch of
Tibet is a harsh landscape where generations of settlers ha(e learnt to eke out a
li(elihood from a reluctant land"
The term Tibet is as much about a shared ethnic, cultural and religious identity
as it is about geography" !ccording to Tibetan mythology, Tibetans descended
from the union of a simian with an ogress" 2ntil the fifth century, the people of
this (ast land practised the +on faith, with its origins in shamanism" +y the time
+uddhism came to Tibet during the reign of ,ongtsen *ampo, it was a
flourishing faith in most neighbouring regions" Tibetans, howe(er, were slow to
accept it" #inally, when they did accept it, many practices of the earlier +on
faith, such as sky burial of ancestors, prayer flags and spirit traps, were
absorbed into the Tibetan (ersion of +uddhism and are obser(ed e(en today"
)ncidentally, the +on faith also sur(i(es in a rudimentary form, and one of the
main centres of the (estigial +on faith is in ,olan district in Himachal 3radesh"
Traditional Tibetan society has three distinct segments4 the nomads 5drokpa6,
the farmers 5rongpa6 and the monks 5sangha6" 7hile leading (ery different
li(es, all the three segments are united by their faith and culture as well as by
their e0traordinary resistance to change" The nomad$s prosperity is e8uated with
the number of yaks he owns" ,ome parts of the Tibetan countryside, with their
gentle meadows, offer hospitable gra/ing grounds for yaks" Tibetans depend on
yaks for e(erything, from milk to meat to clothing fibre and transport" 9n my
earlier trek to -anasaro(ar, we had (isited some of these tented settlements of
yak herders, but on this (isit, we could only glimpse them from our train
windows as we tra(elled from 1hasa to :hengdu"
The farmers are settled Tibetans who li(e in (illages tucked away in the folds of
mountains so remote that it might take weeks to reach one" They li(e a largely
self-contained e0istence where salt and a few other basic necessities are the only
things that ha(e to come from afar" ! cross-breed of yaks called dzo is used for
ploughing and for ferrying the har(est to the (illage" -ost (illages are protected
by a dzong 5fortress6" The .arlung Tsangpo 5known as the +rahmaputra in
)ndia6 irrigates the fertile (alleys although in recent times Tibet has been
witnessing considerable precipitation as well owing to the rapidly changing
ecology of the region" +arley, peas and mustard are the main crops, while in
summer e(en (egetables are culti(ated" .et, we find a (ariety of (egetables and
fruits in the 1hasa ba/aar carted all the way from other regions of :hina,
including the sweet watermelons of neighbouring ;in'iang"
E(ery orthodo0 Tibetan family takes it upon itself to send at least one son to the
monastic fold" 9rdination could begin at the tender age of se(en or eight, and
often goes on for life" There are also nunneries for women who elect to be
ordained into the monastic order after attaining adulthood" There are three
monastic orders4 &yingmapa, ,akhyapa and *elugpa" The last, also called the
<yellow hat= sect from the colour of their headgear, is a prominent order today
and its monasteries can be found e(erywhere in the Tibetan plateau, e0tending
as far as +hutan, &epal and 1adakh in )ndia" 7ithin the monastic fold, there are
(arious gradations determining e(ery monk$s place in the religious order" 7hat
is common, howe(er, is their responsibility to learn, preser(e and practise the
doctrines of +uddhism"
The first sight of the 3otala 3alace from the ground is breathtaking" ! 2&E,:9
52nited &ations Educational, ,cientific and :ultural 9rganisation6 7orld
Heritage ,ite, the palace must rank among the finest structures in the world,
alongside the !ngkor 7at in :ambodia and ,t" 3eter$s :athedral in the >atican"
The name 3otala deri(es from the name of one of the deities, :henserig, which
means <pure land= or paradise"
#or more than fi(e centuries, 3otala remained the supreme seat of power in
Tibet, one in which ecclesiastical and temporal authority con(erged" &ow, this
impressi(e nine-storeyed iconic edifice is no longer imbued with the aura of
holiness? it is more like a museum, the splendorous temples inside
notwithstanding" 7e spy a couple of monks playing games on their cell phones
e(en as (isitors amble through its gorgeous rooms, gaping in awe at the
priceless treasures it houses" The structure itself, an awe-inspiring e0ample of
the finest in Tibetan architecture, was once a self-contained world which
consisted of a palace, residences, religious schools and e(en a cemetery for
deceased senior monks" +ut now, only a few monks reside on the premises, and
a large portion of 3otala is walled off to (isitors"
7e make our way up the steep slopes of 3otala in a persistent dri//le" There are
many :hinese tourists about" The 1hasa ri(er, a tributary of the .arlung
Tsangpo, snakes its way around 1hasa" 7here there must once ha(e been barley
and pea fields, there are now world-class roads and gleaming ,2>s" The
impressi(e 1iberation -onument, built by the :hinese, sits at the centre of the
biggest city s8uare in 1hasa, but one that is much less li(ely than +arkhor
,8uare"
3otala was built on the site of ing ,ongtsen *ampo$s original palace that
e0isted in the @th century" The fifth Aalai 1ama mo(ed into 3otala from the
Arepung monastery in %BCD, and thereafter it became the locus of ecclesiastical
and temporal power in all of Tibet" )nterestingly, when the fifth Aalai 1ama
died, his death was kept secret for %2 years until the Eed 3alace, being built
within the precincts of 3otala, was completed" 7e rush through the priceless
+uddhist treasures housed in 3otala since, in the interests of crowd
management, no (isitor is allowed to linger for more than an hour"
&e0t on our itinerary is the Fokhang temple" 2nlike 3otala, this shrine,
considered the holiest in Tibet, still e0udes an aura of religiosity and faith" The
entrance to the temple is in +arkhor ,8uare" There are se(eral spots where
de(out Tibetans ha(e laid out blankets to perform their ritualistic prostrations
under a flagpole festooned with prayer flags" )n fact, the flagstones in front of
the temple wear a polished sheen from the thousands of heads that ha(e touched
it in prayer"
E(en before you enter Fokhang, you can smell it" The premises is thick with the
smell of yak butter lamps and incense" 9f course, almost all of what we see
today is of recent construction, built within the past G0 years" .ou enter the
temple through a dark corridor watched o(er by naga goddesses 5water spirits6
and nojin 5benign red-faced subterranean creatures6" There is a series of temples
with impressi(e statues" The inner temples house larger-than-life-si/e images of
*uru Einpoche, -aitreya, :henserig, ,hakyamuni and others of the Tibetan
+uddhist pantheon"
There is a temple dedicated to ,ongtsen *ampo as well, a be'ewelled king with
his two consorts, one &epali and the other :hinese" 7e ascend the stairs to (isit
the temples on the first and second floors" ,ince photography is prohibited
inside all the temples in 1hasa, ) ha(e to be content with a (iew of +arkhor
,8uare from the terrace of Fokhang"
The Fokhang temple, a remarkable e0ample of architectural fusion incorporating
the best in &epali, )ndian, :hinese and Tibetan styles, was built by ,ongtsen
*ampo in the @th century to house the image of !kshobya, brought to Tibet as
dowry by the &epalese princess +hrikuti" The temple faces west towards &epal,
presumably in deference to the source of the image" !round the same time, the
Eamoche temple was built to house another +uddha image, Fowo ,hakyamuni,
brought as dowry by his :hinese wife, 3rincess 7encheng" !fter ,ongtsen$s
death, it is belie(ed that 3rincess 7encheng mo(ed the image to Fokhang for its
safety, where it remains to this day" ! well in the precincts of the temple is said
to still draw water from an original sacred lake" Auring our (isit, we see a group
of Tibetans surrounding the well and throwing currency notes into it and
watching intently for some di(ine omen"
Eeligion permeates Tibetan life in all its aspects" !ccumulating merit through
(arious routessuch as undertaking pilgrimages to sacred places e(en if it
means spending the sa(ings of a lifetime on a single trip or sending sons and
daughters into a monastic lifeis central to the Tibetan way of life"
&o wonder then that we see so many Tibetan men and women thronging the
numerous temples and monasteries that dot this landscape" !t the ,era
monastery, we are 'ust in time to witness the e(ening debate in the courtyard,
where the resident monks congregate to debate some of the finer points of
+uddhist theology" There is much stomping of the ground and gesturing
although one gets the impression that much of it is staged for the tourists$
benefit" !s if on cue, hundreds of (isitors land in this courtyard, their cameras
poised"
,era, founded in %C%D, was once home to more than 5,000 monks but hosts only
a few hundred now" )n its heyday, its precincts rang out with +uddhist teachings
in the fi(e colleges under its aegis, but now only one sur(i(es" 7e pay our
obeisance to the copper ,hakyamuni, flanked by Fampa and Fampelyang, and
mo(e on to admire the (arious temples and their presiding deities" 9utside the
main temple, there are massi(e copper (ats, which are used for ritual cooking
during festi(als"
Arepung, another monastery, is located on a dramatic outcrop in the western
part of 1hasa" +uilt in the %Cth century, this was probably the largest monastery
in all of Tibet, where nearly H,000 monks of the *elugpa sect resided" &ow,
only 500 monks li(e here, but all of them seem to be congregated in the huge
pantry, where they are engaged in making a traditional Tibetan cake offering
called tsok for the forthcoming ,aga Aawa festi(al" There are mounds of sattu,
aromatic, roasted barley flour mi0ed with yak butter and molasses, which the
monks are shaping into cones in ritual offering" 3rayer wheels line the steep
path to the temples" 9n an ad'acent hill, a huge rock doubles as a frame for giant
thangkas which are brought out once a year during the Tsoton festi(al" They can
be seen from miles away" The rest of the year, they are placed in custom-made
ornamental frames which e0tend the entire length of a huge hall" )t takes more
than a hundred monks to furl or unfurl these thangkas" Arepung was home to
the first four Aalai 1amas and is still a re(ered pilgrim destination"
9ur tra(el permit does not allow us to go beyond 1hasa" ,o, after fi(e days in
this remarkable city, we head towards :hengdu" The train ride out of 1hasa into
:hengdu is, in many ways, the highlight of our trip to Tibet" )t ser(es up
rectangular frames of the most stunning landscapes on the planete0pansi(e
meadows peppered with gra/ing yaks, layer upon layer of high-altitude blue-
and-green mountain ranges thrown up by tectonic shifts eons ago, and, abo(e
all, the celestial drama of fluffy streaks of clouds con(erging on the peaks
against the backdrop of a copper sulphate blue sky" This is central Tibet,
comprising the 2 5capital 1hasa6-Tsang 5capital ,higatse6 plateau, the political,
historical and agricultural heartland of Tibet" )t is also known as the .arlung
(alley, watered as it is by the mighty Tsangpo"
#or the better part of our first day$s 'ourney, we are accompanied by the
Tsangpo, which meanders east for about 2,000 kilometres within Tibet in search
of a southern outlet to the ocean before it takes a dramatic 2-turn near the
!runachal--yanmar border to descend in cascades down into !runachal
3radesh" 9ur e(ening meal in the dining car is enli(ened by a splendid rainbow
outside our window, arching across some mighty mountains, caressed by cotton-
wool clouds" The Tsangpo coils under the base of the mountains, faithfully
reflecting the resplendent colours in its crystal-clear waters" )t seems like a
celestial spectacle"
The 1hasa-;ining route goes through the Tanggula 3ass, which, at 5,0@2 metres
abo(e sea le(el, is said to be the world$s highest railway pass" 1ikewise,
Tanggula station is the world$s highest railway station, an honour it seems to
ha(e usurped from 3eru$s Ticlio station, located at a height of C,H2D metres and
+oli(ia$s :ondor station, at C,@HB metres, both in the !ndes" This route also
goes through numerous tunnels, including the four-kilometre-long &ew
*uang'iao tunnel at C,D05 metres abo(e sea le(el" +ut it is remarkable that
where(er possible, the line runs between the mountains rather than through
them" -uch of this route has been laid on permafrost with ade8uate safeguards
to ensure that the rails do not sink into the ground in an unusually warm
summer when the frost thaws" The train itself is sleek and modern with a
dedicated o0ygen (ent and a T> screen for e(ery berth in the soft-sleeper class"
7e ha(e :hi Hong Ihi, a gymnast from Aalian, and her marine engineer
husband for company" ,ince neither of them speak English, a Taiwanese couple
in the ad'acent bay readily act as interpreters and our 'ourney is made all the
more en'oyable by our dialogues of disco(ery and familiarisation"
#rom ;ining, the train turns south and passes through the impressi(e !mdo and
ham territories, part of the ancient ,ilk Eoute, before it enters the lower
altitudes of ,ichuan pro(ince" Here, for some distance, we are accompanied by
!sia$s third longest ri(er, the Hwang Ho, or the .ellow Ei(erso called
because it is silt-ladenalso known as the <cradle of :hinese ci(ilisation=" )t
originates in Jinghai pro(ince, drops through some dramatic gorges and flows
through 1an/hou town and thence eastwards to drain into the +ohai ,ea"
Howe(er, Hwang Ho has a destructi(e side too4 fre8uent floods ha(e also
earned it the epithet <:hina$s ,orrow=" 7e pass through ,haan0i pro(ince,
whose capital, ;ian, once eclipsed +ei'ing as :hina$s glorious ancient imperial
capital" The train hurtles through ,ichuan pro(ince, ser(es up (istas of dense
(egetation and uni8ue shapes spanned by bridges and speckled with charming
(illages" This is one of the 'ourneys you do not want to end"

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