The next day, after sunrise on Barkhor Square, we headed out of Lhasa again to the Phabongkha Temple in the nearby mountains and then to the Dalai Lama’s summer residence, the Norbulingka Palace.
Phabongkha lies beautifully in a mountain landscape full of prayer flags. Right next door is a well-known site for sky burials. They are very important to Tibetans for reaching the next stage of rebirth: the body is cut up and left to the vultures, and whatever remains is burned. From a distance we could see the huge vultures circling – appetising is definitely something else. From the temple we had the best view of the site (picture 17). After a longer walk through the temple and its scattered buildings we returned to Lhasa and made a short detour to the Norbulingka. The park was laid out from 1755, served the Dalai Lamas as their summer residence from the 1780s until 1959 and, at around 36 hectares, is considered the largest man-made garden in Tibet; since 2001 it has been part of the World Heritage Site around the Potala Palace.
Pilgrims in front of the white wall on the Barkhor in the blue morning light.Pilgrims walk past the white houses of the Barkhor.A row of prayer wheels beneath a white house.At the prayer wheels – movement in the half-light.An incense burner in front of the houses on the Barkhor.A pilgrim with a prayer wheel on the square.A man with a prayer wheel, a small dog sitting beside him.Pilgrims at the great incense burner, smoke rising.Pilgrims prostrating themselves on Barkhor Square.A blue cart with lettering in the middle of the square.White stupas before the mountains near Phabongkha temple.A pilgrim prays before the butter lamps.Phabongkha temple on its rock above the trees.A colourful curtain at a door in the temple.The yellow temple above white stupas – beautifully set in the mountains.Gold-embroidered hangings with long fringes.The mountain valley near Phabongkha – a well-known sky burial site lies next to it.A gong and a stupa on the roof before the mountains.A yellow window with offerings in the black wall.Prayer flags and rocks in the valley.Colourful prayer flags at the foot of the mountains.Prayer flags among white rocks.A painted rock with a yellow Buddha figure.White rocks with prayer flags on the slope.Two monks at the gate of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's summer residence.An altar with offering bowls.A faded mural in the Norbulingka.A meat stall by the street, back in Lhasa.Old sooty kettles in a monastery kitchen.
