| Fixed Departure TIBET-AN AUTONOMOUS REGION TOUR 2011 / 2012 |
 Tibet is a province-level autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China. Within the People’s Republic of China, Tibet is identified with the Autonomous Region, which includes about half of cultural Tibet, including the traditional provinces of U-Tsang and Kham (Western half). The Tibet Autonomous Region is the second largest province level division of China by area (spanning over 1,200,000 square kilometers). Unlike other autonomous regions, the vast majority of inhabitants are of the local ethnicity. As a result, there is debate surrounding the extent of actual autonomy of the region. The Chinese government argues that Tibet has ample autonomy. The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest region on Earth. In northern Tibet elevations reach an average of over 4,572 meters (15,000 ft). Mount Everest is located on Tibet’s border with Nepal.
There are over 800 settlements in Tibet; Lhasa is Tibet’s traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa contains the world heritage site the Potala Palace and the Norbulingka, the residences of the Dalai Lama. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries which are deeply engrained in its history including Jokhang and Ramoche Temple. Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region, West of Lhasa, Gyantse, Chamdo are also amongst the largest. The famous places of Tibet are Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, Nyalam, Tingri; Zhangmu (Nepal-Tibet Border).There is also large Tibetan settlement in South India near Kushalanagara as Refugees which had fled to India.
Tibet has various festivals which commonly are performed to worship the Buddha throughout the year. Lhosar is the Tibetan New Year Festival. Preparations for the festive event are manifested by special offerings to family shrine deities, painted doors with religious symbols and other painstaking jobs done to prepare for the event. The Monlam Prayer Festival follows it in the first month of the Tibetan calendar, falling on the fourth up to the eleventh day of the first Tibetan month, which involves many Tibetans dancing and participating in sports events and sharing picnics.
Tibetan architecture contains Oriental and Indian influences and reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. The Buddhist wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly every Gompa in Tibet. The most distinctive feature of Tibetan architecture is that many of the houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south, and are often made out of a mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Little fuel is available for heat or lighting, so flat roofs are built to conserve the heat and multiple windows are constructed to let in the sunlight. Walls are usually sloped inwards at 10 degree as a precaution against frequent earthquakes in the mountainous area. Standing at 117 meters in height and 360 meters in width, the Potala Palace is considered as the most important example of Tibetan architecture. Formerly the residence of the Dalai Lama, it contains over one thousand rooms within thirteen stories and houses portraits of the Dalai Lama and statues of the Buddha. It is divided between the outer white palace, which houses the assembly hall of the Lamas, Chapels, 10,000 Shrines and a vast library of Buddhist scriptures. |
| FIXED DEPARTURE TIBET TOUR 2011 |
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