From Goats to Gods - Arriving in Lhasa. Episode 7

After twenty-two hours on the train, I finally arrive in Lhasa.

Twenty-two hours is long enough for a man to become acquainted with his fellow passengers, the landscape, the railway timetable, the dining car, the toilet and, most importantly, with his own thoughts. By the time the train finally reaches Lhasa, I have crossed half a country and climbed onto the roof of the world, and I am beginning to feel that perhaps I have been travelling for several weeks rather than twenty-two hours.

 

And then there it is.                          Lhasa.

There is something wonderfully appropriate about arriving here by train. A city that was once little more than a grazing place for goats has become one of the great sacred cities of Asia.

The old name was Rasa. According to the traditional interpretation, it meant “the place of goats”. Goats were part of the story of the construction of the Jokhang, helping to carry earth for the foundations. 

Later, as Buddhism transformed the place into the spiritual centre of Tibet, the name became Lhasa --> “the place of the gods”.

Episode 7 - Tibet. The Roof of the World Arrival in Lhasa after 22 hours on the train. Once a place of goats, now a place of gods. #Tibet #Lhasa #China https://t.co/UOKtOXEceE

— Leonard Szuszkiewicz (@Tribudragon) October 3, 2026