Lhasa

Lhasa

Lhasa or Lasa , city (1994 est. pop. 118,000), capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, SW China. It is on a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) at an altitude of c.11,800 ft (3,600 m). Lhasa is the chief Tibetan trade center, connected by road with the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and with India, Kashmir, and Nepal; in 2006 it was connected by rail with Qinghai. Chemicals, motors, and wool and leather products are manufactured. Because of the remoteness of the city and the traditional hostility of the Tibetan clergy toward foreigners, Lhasa has long been called the Forbidden City. Prior to the Chinese occupation (1951) of Tibet, Lhasa was the center of Lamaism (see Tibetan Buddhism ), and about half its population were Lamaist monks. Lhasa has little noteworthy architecture, but there are impressive religious edifices. On a nearby hill, backed by lofty mountains in the distance, stands the magnificent Potala, the former palace of the Dalai Lama, a gigantic block of buildings nine stories high, whitewashed save for the central portion, which is red, and surmounted by gilded roofs and towers. It has reception rooms, chapels, and quarters for thousands of monks. A smaller palace of the Dalai Lama is set in the beautifully wooded grounds of Jewel Park. Near the city is the Drepung monastery, one of the largest in the world. The holiest temple in Lhasa, unimpressive from the outside, is the Jokang, which contains a jeweled image of the young Buddha. Several of the religious edifices were damaged during China's imposition of direct political control over Tibet (1959–60), during which the Dalai Lama and other Tibetans fled to India. Increased protests and uprisings in the late 1980s against Chinese control of Tibet led China to impose (Mar., 1989) martial law on the region. A modern highway bridge, made of reinforced concrete (c.2,400 ft/730 m long), crosses the river at Lhasa. The city's name also appears as Lassa.

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"Lhasa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Lhasa

Lhasa. The capital of Tibet, sited on a tributary of the Brahmaputra river, possibly founded during the 7th century ce reign of Songtsen Gampo (Tib., Srong-btsan sgampo) who is credited with constructing a fortress there as well as the famous Jokhang. Its importance declined somewhat during the period after the last Tibetan king in the 9th century but regained its importance under the Dalai Lama V who established it as the secular and religious headquarters of his hegemony. The construction of the Potala, the residence of the Dalai Lamas until 1959, was completed during his reign. A number of important Gelukpa monasteries such as Sera and Ganden are located in the region surrounding Lhasa.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Lhasa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Lhasa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Lhasa.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Lhasa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Lhasa.html

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Lhasa

Lhasa (lha, ‘abode of the gods’). Sometimes known as ‘the forbidden city’, former home of the Dalai Lama and centre of Tibetan Buddhist life. It was made capital city of Tibet in the 7th cent. CE, and it remains the capital of the autonomous Xizang region (Tibet), and contains the Potala, a fortress of a thousand rooms, in which are kept many images of the Buddha. The Jokhang temple in Lhasa was built in the 6th cent. CE. Drepung monastery, 5 km. away, is an active centre of lama life (though much reduced since 1959).

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JOHN BOWKER. "Lhasa." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Lhasa." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lhasa.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Lhasa." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lhasa.html

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Lhasa

Lhasa Capital of Tibet (Xizang Zizhiqu) Autonomous Region, sw China, on a tributary of the Brahmaputra, at 3600m (11,800ft) in the n Himalayas. An ancient religious centre, the Chinese occupied the city in 1951. After the Tibetan revolt against the occupation (1959–60), the Chinese closed many of Lhasa's temples and monasteries. The 17th-century Potala Palace was the home of the Dalai Lama. Today, the city is an important trading centre, also manufacturing chemicals and processing gold and copper. Pop. (1999 est.) 121,568.

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"Lhasa." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Lhasa." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Lhasa.html

"Lhasa." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Lhasa.html

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Lhasa

Lhasa (Chinese: Lasa Shiqu), Tibet Autonomous Region/China ‘City of the Gods’ from the Tibetan lha ‘god’ and sa ‘city’. It was originally the capital of Tibet from the 7th century. Occupied by the Chinese since 1951, it is now the capital of the Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Lhasa." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Lhasa." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Lhasa.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Lhasa." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Lhasa.html

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Lhasa

Lhasaamasser, gasser, macassar, Makassar, Mombasa, Nasser •relaxer, waxer •salsa •cancer, romancer •piazza • necromancer • madrasa •Kinshasa, Lhasa, passer, Tarrasa, Vaasa •advancer, answer, chancer, dancer, enhancer, lancer, prancer •tazza •addresser, aggressor, assessor, compressor, confessor, contessa, depressor, digresser, dresser, guesser, intercessor, lesser, Odessa, oppressor, possessor, professor, represser, successor, transgressor, Vanessa •Alexa, flexor, vexer •Elsa, Kielce •censer, censor, dispenser, fencer, Mensa, sensor, Spenser •seltzer •Faenza, Henze •indexer • hairdresser • predecessor •microprocessor, processor •acer, bracer, chaser, debaser, embracer, facer, macer, mesa, pacer, placer, racer, spacer, tracer •Ailsa • steeplechaser •greaser, Lisa, Nerissa, piecer, Raisa, releaser •pizza

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"Lhasa." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Lhasa." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Lhasa.html

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