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Barkhor Street - Circumambulation for Pilgrims

Barkhor Street located in Lhasa downtown is a popular circumambulation for pilgrims and commercial center. As a public square around Jokhang Temple, it is a polygon, connected by different streets and laneways, with a total length of over 1000 meters. Being “a saint road” in the eyes of Tibetan, you can feel the local spiritual belief by seeing different pilgrims from all over Tibet with different dresses and dialects to pray devoutly along Barkhor Street. Like a miniature of Lhasa, it shows you another aspect of the Tibetan material life. There are an eyeful of fantastic stores and shops along the street to display most characteristic items and commodities, including thangkas, prayer wheels, prayer flags, Tibetan styled clothing, milk tea and more. Barkhor Street is such a great place to buy some souvenirs and suck up the local Tibetan lifestyle.

Barkhor Street Facts

Rating:

#4 of 69 Things to Do in Lhasa

Season:
April to October
Type:
Religious Sites, Historical Sites
Altitude:
3650 meters
Location:
Downtown of Lhasa old city
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History of Barkhor Street

For over 1300 years of history, Barkhor Street was built along with the Jokhang Temple. It was said during the 7th century, when Songtsen Gampo, the first Tibetan King ordered to build the Jokhang Temple in the Wotang Lake. In order to oversee the progress of project, another four palaces were built at the same time for the King and his concubines to live nearby, which became the first buildings of Barkhor Street.

After the Jokhang Temple was built, there were countless pilgrims gathering to view the magnificent building and pray. Gradually, there was a trodden path around the temple and called the origin of the Barkhor Street. In the latter years, apart from the four palaces, there were more and more buildings shaped constantly, including shops, hotels, restaurants, etc. and the Barkhor Street became more and more prosperous.

Now as the most crowded trading center in Lhasa, the pilgrimage is still the biggest activities here. Pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark and some of them perform the body-long kowtows along the road. Being the popular tourist attraction, it tells visitors not only the condition of itself, but also the glorious history of Tibet.

Potala Palace Local Tibetans at Barkhor Street

Features of Barkhor Street

As the city center, the Barkhor Street still keeps the ancient Tibetan architectures of numerous stores, well-proportioned along the street sides. Mingled with the devout pilgrims, these characteristic shops stretch far away, like a historical scroll awaiting you to explore more.

Barkhor Pilgrim Circuit

Barkhor Pilgrim Circuit is a typical pilgrimage in Tibet. As one of three important circumambulation roads, Barkhor streets circuit is quite grand, especially in the early morning and at nightfall. Long streams of pious Tibetan pilgrims walk clockwise in Barkhor chanting prayers with their meditation beads, spinning their prayer wheels or performing full prostrations to the hand-polished stone boards to circle the street to worship the Jowo Rinpoche enshrined in Jokhang Temple. Those pilgrims travel far from all over the Tibet, even some other provinces or countries to complete this sacred circuit from morning to night. Here you can view the devoted pilgrims with firmly beliefs and piety toward the religion.

Barkhor Pilgrim Barkhor Pilgrim

Must-visit stores

In the Barkhor Street, there are some featured stores worth visiting, like the Magyia Ngami Restaurant. This yellow two-story bar is standing out clearly against a sea of white buildings. Having a good taste of art, there are painting, photograph, and handicraft hanging on the walls. It’s said that here was where the 6th Dalai Lama Cangyand Gyamco had met his lover, and written a poem to praise the pretty young girl, called Magyia Ngami in Tibetan. In the south corn, there is a Xueyu Thangka Craft Store, where you can find some exquisite Thangkas and meet the master to learn some craft skills. In the north direction, the Buddha statues store managed by a Nepalese to sell various kinds of elaborate copper and golden Buddhas, is another must see.

Magyia Ngami Restaurant at Barkhor Street Magyia Ngami Restaurant at Barkhor Street

Useful Travel Tips

● With a short distance, you can visit Barkhor Street in the same day before or after the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple Tour. According to the local religious tradition, try to take the clockwise direction to walk along the Barkhor Street. And don’t stroll too late in the afternoon, since there are many narrow lanes along the street and easily to get lost in the dark.

● Shopping in Barkhar Street for some small souvenirs is a good choice with a negotiable price. Different vendors may sell the same thing at different price. So you'd better ask several vendors and get more information of the articles. Of course, you should also know how to bargain with them. If you are lucky to become the first or the last buyer, the store keeper will offer you a discount, according to the ancient customs.

● As for some special items, like Tibetan Medicine, antiques, you should be caution about the price and its value. For Tibetan knives and some heavy or large souvenirs, you may need to mail and before you buy please ask the local retailer how / where to mail it.

Barkhor Street Shopping Barkhor Street Shopping

How to Plan A Tibet Tour

Tibet is too vast to be visited in one single trip, but planning ahead of time can make most of your holiday. A classic Tibet tour always takes about 4 ~ 8 days. Apart from 2 days for arrival and departure, it usually needs 2 other days to explore majestic Potala Palace and other landmarks in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. With a day trip’s distance from Lhasa, Namtso Lake is another perfect tour extension if you visit Tibet from May to October.

☛ 4 Days Holy City Lhasa Private Tour - Heart of Tibet

☛ 5 Days Lhasa City and Holy Lake Namtso Tour

To explore further, it’s strongly recommended to travel from Lhasa to Mount Everest via Gyantse and Shigatse, which usually needs 4 more days. It is an unforgettable sightseeing trip with lots of attractions to visit, such as Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Kumbum Stupa of Palcho Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery, etc. Of course, the biggest draw must be gazing upon the unparalleled north face of the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest.

☛ 6 Days Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Historical Tour

☛ 8 Days Everest Base Camp Tour - Top of the World

☛ 9 Days Tibet Discovery Tour plus Everest and Namtso Expedition

For Buddhist followers and hiking lovers, you are suggested to travel to Ngari to join the kora around the holy Mt. Kailash and sacred Lake Manasarovar, which usually takes about 5 ~ 8 more days from Lhasa. The wild nature of Ngari is spectacular as well.

☛ 13 Days Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar Trekking Tour

☛ 16 Days Mt.Kailash Pilgrimage Private Tour

If you have your own needs or interest, just feel free to contact us to customize a trip of your own!

Potala Palace Lhasa, Namtso, Mount Everest and Ngari are four most popular destinations in Tibet

Recommended Tour Packages

Escorted by a skilled private drivers and companied by a professional local tour guide to organize all the activities, all you have to do is to enjoy your fantastic Tibet journey. Time can never be wasted waiting for a group, hopping on and off buses or negotiating unfamiliar destinations.

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