Start here · Essential guide
The Sacred Sites of Tibet: A Buddhist Pilgrimage Guide
An orientation to Buddhist pilgrimage across Tibet: the main regions, the practice of kora, the best seasons, and plain cautions on permits, altitude and rules.
Tibet, Himalaya and Silk Road
An orientation to pilgrimage across the Tibetan plateau.
Start here · Essential guide
An orientation to Buddhist pilgrimage across Tibet: the main regions, the practice of kora, the best seasons, and plain cautions on permits, altitude and rules.
Samye, Yumbulagang and other quieter places in Buddhist Tibet, with notes on why access to many sites is restricted and why conditions keep changing.
A concise region-by-region list of major Tibetan sacred sites, with one line on each and pointers to where to read more, plus a note on checking access.
How Tibetan pilgrims practise: prostration, prayer wheels, prayer flags, mani stones and offerings, with notes on how visitors can respect these customs.
Western Tibet and Ngari: Tholing and the ruins of the Guge kingdom, their place in Buddhist history, and plain cautions on remoteness, altitude and access.
What "roof of the world" means, why the high plateau shaped its religion, and how Buddhism traditionally reached Tibet from the 7th century onward.
How Hindu and Buddhist traditions each understand Mount Kailash, from Shiva's abode to Chakrasamvara and Milarepa, and how pilgrims of both share the mountain.
Mount Kailash in Tibetan Buddhist sources: Chakrasamvara's mandala, the Milarepa and Naro Bonchung contest, and Kagyu and Drukpa associations, told as tradition.
The Potala as a destination for Tibetan pilgrims: circling the palace, devotion in its chapels, and why visitors should check official sources for access rules.
A visitor's look at Sakya town: the grey, white and red striped walls, the north and south monastery areas, the great hall and the library wall, with access cautions.
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