Lhasa

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jokhang_C.jpg
Author: Baldiri


It started to regain its glory with the construction of three large Gelugpa monasteries by the famous Tibetan Buddhist teacher Je Tsongkhapa. In 1642 the 5th Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso conquered Tibet and made Lhasa his administrative capital. Construction of a new Potala Palace began in 1645.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Lhasa was a major center of Tibetan Buddhism, with nearly half its population comprising Buddhist monks. The invasion of Tibet by the People's Liberation Army in 1950 caused a mass exodus of Tibetans. It also compelled the 14th Dalai Lama to flee into exile on 1959.

The People's Liberation Army's entry into Tibet was regarded as a peaceful liberation in accordance to the Seventeen Point Agreement signed between delegates of the Dalai Lama and the government of People's Republic of China on 23 May 1951 in Beijing. The validity of the Seventeen Point Agreement has long been disputed by the Dalai Lama, claiming that the signing was done under duress. China regarded it as legally binding, pointing out that the Tibetan delegates signing the agreement were not subject to any physical harm.

Lhasa street market