LHASA, LASSA, or H'LASA (Tibetan Lh(4-tid `God's place or house;' in Chinese, 'Buddha Land'). The capital of Tibet, and the chief seat of the Lamaistic hierarchy; situated on the right or north hank of the icyi•ch'u, a left bank tributary of the Yaru•Tsang-pu or 13ralima para. in an elevated plain (11,581( feet above sea-level), sometimes called NVo-ma•t'ang or 'milk plain,' sloping to the north for about 12 miles. and surrounded by lofty, barren moun tains. The is small, but regularly laid out; the principal streets are wide, well lined with Tibetan, Chinese. and Nepalese shops, and com paratively (dean, but the back streets are exceed ingly filthy. The principal buildings are of stone, but there are many of adobe and sun dried brick. The chief trade is in precious stones, gold, velvet. cashmere, and other fabrics peculiar to the region; and in tea from China, silk, lace, carpets, Russian goods, musk, etc. The chief interests of the city, however, are religious; thousands of pilgrims visit it annually from Mongolia, Kashmir. Nepal. etc.. and Buddhist and monasteries abound. Near its cen tre stands the cathedral, a lofty, flat-roofed shrine. resplendent with green and gold, known as the do-K'ang or Lila-Wang, the 'House of the Lord.' surrounded •itb conventual houses and gardens. Here stands a life-size image of Bud dha as a prince, about 16 years of age, said to have been east during his lifetime in Magadha. the Buddhist Holy Land. 'nu. material de scribed as an alloy of five precious metals. it is surrounded by many others representing hodhi sattvas, saints, and historical personages, the chief of which are Manju-sri, the god of wisdom, and Maitreya, the coming Buddha.
In the suburbs to the west of the city is the palace of the Dalai Lama. the head of the Lamaist Church, and the incarnation of Avalo kiteshvara (see KWAN-YIN an imposing pile of lofty buildings gorgeous in green and cinnabar, perched on the rocky hill, called by its founder Alount Potala, which rises from the plain to a height of 375 feet. A replica of the palace was
erected in (lehol (q.v.), in Eastern Mongolia. by the Emperor Wien-lung. These buildings (late from 1643, and are well described by line and Gabet, who visited the city in 1846. To the south of this, also on a rocky hill, is the pavilion used by the Teshu-Lama, of Tashi-lump°, when he visits the city. Other great monastic establish ments in the neighborhood are Deming. 3 miles west, with 7000 monks and students, and Iv( miles north; Sera, sheltering 5500 monks, taking its name from three large temples gilt all over within, ser being the Tibetan d for gold. The population of Lhasa is not certainly known. The most reliable estimates make it 43,000. of whom 30.000 are monks and 15,000 laymen, not reckoning a Chinese garrison (2 miles distant) of 2700 men. The affairs of the city, as of Tibet, are in the hands of the Dalai Latna and the Chinese Amaban or Minister Resident.
Since the end of the eighteenth century for eigners have been forbidden to enter the city. Among the few who succeeded in entering it were Manning. in 1811 ; line and Gabel. in 1846; Nain Singh, an Indian surveyor, in 1874; and Sarat Chandra Doss. in IS32. See Hue and Gabet. Rourenirs (run royage en Tartary. Ic Thihrt et Chine (Paris, 1S52; Chicago. 1900) ; "Tibet from Chinese .tsour•es." in the Journal of tin Royal Auiutic ,Society (London, 1891) ; Waddell, The Buddhssm of Tibet (London, 1895) ; karat Chandra Hass, .1 Journey to Lhasa (Calcutta, 1885).