Walk the sacred path to enlightenment!

Lhasa contains three concentric paths used by pilgrims to circumambulate the sacred Johkhang Temple, many of whom make full or partial prostrations along these routes in order to gain spiritual merit.

The innermost, the Nangkor is contained within the Jokhang temple, and surrounds the sanctuary of the Jowo Shakyamuni, the most sacred statue in Tibetan Buddhism.

The middle pathway, the Barkor, passes through the old town and surrounds the Jokhang temple and various other buildings in its vicinity. It dates back to the foundation of the Jokhang and is an essential pilgrim route. Houses and small inns were built all around the street. As time went on, shops and businesses also set up in the Barkhor, and it slowly became a prosperous area where many pilgrims congregated.

The outer Lingkor path encircles the entire traditional city of Lhasa, although in modern times, the Lingkor is not usually used by pilgrims today because of ongoing contruction.

Resources:

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/tibet/lhasa/barkhor.htm

The image of Barkhor was taken by the Flickr photographer o2ma. He has released this photo for use under the Creative Commons License.

City-builder: Rinzen Jampa
Shibori Murasaka