Where It All Began

The farmland below and the Temple high above are believed to be where the Tibetan tribes began. Folklore tells of a Monkey God who subdued an evil woman and with blessing from God, they lived together and reproduced 500 decendants who later became Tibetan tribes dispersing through the vast expense of the highlands searching for new pastures and food.

This temple (雍布拉康) was originally built as a palace, the first in Tibet, which later was extended to become a temple, surrounded by the first cultivated fields in Tibet. The first Tibetan barley is believed to have started from these fields. Grace Jane and I took horses up the hill to the temple. Haitao, XiaoLu and our tourguide walked and reached the top earlier! We put up two strings of Tibetan Buddhist banners onto a tall post by the temple. We took the steps down, passing many local Tibetans on their ways up to pray at the temple, obviously a holy site to many. A photo shows a solar reflector heating a kettle. Widely used throughout Tibet.