Tibet: The Land
of Snows, the covering of the world. For centuries this unexplained Buddhist
kingdom, protected away in its mountain citadel of the Himalaya, has exercised
a exceptional hold on the thoughts of the West. For explorers, imperialists and
traders it was a outlawed land of jewels and riches. Dreamers on a saintly
quest have long alleged of a lost Shangri-la, steeped in magic and ambiguity.
When the doors were finally flung open in the mid-1980s, Tibet lay in ruins. Between 1950 and 1970, the Chinese wrested
control of the area of stability, drove the Tibetans’ spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and some 100, 000 of Tibet’s finest into banish and analytically
dismantled most of the Tibetan cultural and historical birthright, all in the
name of insurgency. For a while images of the Buddha were replaced by icons of
Chairman Mao. Today, Tibetan pilgrims across the country are once again hesitant
mantras and vacillation their prayer wheels in temples that are heavy with the
thick exhilarating aroma of juniper incense and yak butter. Monasteries have
been restored across the country, along with limited religious autonomys. A
walk around lhasa’s lively Barkhor pilgrimage trail is proof enough that the
efforts of the collectivist Chinese to build a brave new (roof of the) world
have foundered on the noteworthy and rousing faith of the Tibetan people.
For many people, Tibet is a exceptionally spiritual place. Those moments of peace, momentary and expensive, when everything seems to be in its appropriate place, seem to come more recurrently in Tibet, whether encouraged by the devotion perceptible in the face of a pilgrim or the dwarfing scale of a beautiful countryside. Tibet can truly claim to be on a advanced plan.
For anyone who travels
with their eyes open, a visit to Tibet will be memorable and fascinating, but
also a sobering experience. It’s a place that’s probable to change the way you
see the world and that will stay behind with you for years to come. And that’s definitely
the definition of the very best kind of travel.
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