Sacred Places and Important Pilgrimage Sites of Tibet

Sacred Places and Important Pilgrimage Sites of Tibet
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Sacred Places and Important Pilgrimage Sites of Tibet
Introduction.
Religion is a vital point of focus in the social context of each human being. Most communities in the world have systems of beliefs that form their religion. In most of these religions, there are places that are essentially regarded as sacred. These sacred places include sites or buildings where people meet to practice their form of worship and other religious rituals. A sacred site can be defined as a place that is considered holy and is given utmost respect because of its spiritual relevance and importance by believers of a particular religion. Sacred sites vary from artificial buildings such as temples to natural physical features such as mountains, caves, and lakes. In this paper, the major point of focus is the sacred places and important pilgrimage sites of Tibet. The main religion practiced among the Tibetians is Tibetan Buddhism. These sacred places have their significance in Tibetan Buddhism. The pilgrimage was one of the religious rituals that brought the people of Tibet, who practised Buddhism together. They had several sites which they visited once the Pilgrimage festivities began. Each Pilgrimage site had its own significance in the religious lives of these people, as will be discussed within this paper.
Tibetians began practising Buddhism in the seventh century. It was not until the eleventh and twelfth centuries that Buddhism was truly embraced in the Tibetan region. During this time, the local people of Tibet traveled to India to learn more about Buddhism and visit the Indian Buddhist sites. After the Tibetans fully embraced Buddhism, pilgrimage became one of the religious activities that united them from all the different parts of their country. Through journeying together, these people shared knowledge and information among themselves, which acted as a unique form of learning. Additionally, they traded the various goods and services which they brought as they traveled on foot through the various shrines, mountains, caves, and even lakes. This boosted their economy.
One of the most important sacred places that the Tibetans visited were the Lhasa shrines. The shrines were located in the ancient Tibetan capital and what brought these people to these shrines was the Jowo Shakyamuni image statue which resided in the central temple known as Jo Khang or, in other words, "house of the lord." They believed that upon beholding this image which allegedly was brought by the princess of Wencheng in China, they would be blessed once they touched it (Kapstein, 2013, pg.238). Yet, this was not the end. The whole country of Tibet had a national pilgrimage network that entangled the major temples with the minor temples and even specific natural physical features which were part of their pilgrimage sites. 
In most cases, pilgrims began their journeys from Lhasa, the ancient capital of Tibet. Before embarking on their pilgrimages, several festivities were conducted in Lhasa's major temples and shrines. These festivities involved several public performances, such as masked operas which were accompanied by unique and elaborate dances and songs (Kapstein, 2013...