Prayer Flag Poles Around Barkor Street
The prayer flag pole is something widespread you will encounter while visiting monasteries and temples in Tibet. We hang the prayer flags on the high passes and near the river, where there is strong wind to blow the prayer flags. Tibetans believe that when the wind blows the prayer flags, the wind also carries the mantras on the prayer flag, and the merit is the same as reading the mantra.
On the other hand, the prayer flag poles also use the same prayer flag to hang on the high passes. We use different poles to stand a prayer pole such as Bamboo, Wooden and Metal, but the most traditional use in Tibet is wooden poles.
Every year, we celebrate an auspicious day of change the prayer flags on the poles in Tibet, and the date can be varied as per the area and monasteries tradition. Not only the prayer flags, people often offering Khatags to band the pole to prevent the wind.
There are many prayer flag poles in Tibet, but two of the most sacred and popular prayer flag poles in Tibet are:
- Kailash prayer flag pole (renew prayer flags of the pole every year on 15the April accord to Tibetan Lunar Calendar)
- Tsurphu prayer flag pole
There are five prayer flag poles around the Barkor street
- Tashi Prayer Flag Pole
- Ganden Prayer Flag Pole
- Shar – Kyaring Prayer Flag Pole
- Kalsang Prayer Flag Pole
- Ju-Yag Prayer Flag Pole
Below are the history and reasons for building all these prayer flag poles in detail.
Tashi Prayer Flag Pole:
Tashi prayer flag pole was erected in the northwest of Barkor Street. The number 10th Panchen Lama built the prayer flag pole in 1986 to commemorate the reopening of the Great Prayer Festival after twenty years. The Tashi Prayer flag pole symbolises the eternity of separating Tibetan Buddhism all around.
Ganden Prayer Flag Pole:
Ganden prayer flag pole was built in the northeast of Barkor street in 1681. The Ganden prayer flag was erected to commemorate the great victory of Ganden Tsewang Palsangpo, a Mongolian general who the fifth Dalai Lama entrusted for his defeating the invasion of Ladakh in the west of Ngari, Tibet.
At the time of the building, the height of the prayer flag pole was beyond the measurement. So that, the local people called it as ‘Ganden Enormous Prayer Flag Pole’.
Shar – Kyaring Prayer Flag Pole:
Shar – Kyiring prayer flag pole was erected in the southeast of Barkor street in 1409. Master Tsongkhapa built it for the former start of the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa.
When building the prayer flag pole, master Tsongkhapa put his walking crutch inside the prayer flag pole as the prominent relics.
Kalsang Prayer Flag Pole:
Kalsang prayer flag pole was built on the south side of Barkor street in 1720. It was erected for the enthronement ceremony of the number 7th Dalai Lama Kalsang Gyatso, who had been choose as the reincarnation of the late 6th Dalai Lama after ten years of detainment in Lithang.
Because of the great expectation of preaching sermon from his holiness, local people erected this prayer flag pole and named as ‘Kalsang’, which means a glorious period in Tibetan.
Ju-Yag Prayer Flag Pole:
Gushi Khan Tenzin Choegyal built the Ju-Yag prayer flag pole southwest of Barkor street in 1634. The Ju-Yag prayer flag pole was erected to remember the victory of the Mongolian King, Gushi Khan Tenzin Choegyal. He strongly banned Beri kings cruel actions, which persecuted the Buddhist followers in the Kham region, such as Dege, Markham and other parts.
Later, regent Sonam Choephel made the declaration of his achievement, and the prayer flag pole was called Ju-Yag, which means a good scheme in Tibetan.
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