Barkhor

The Barkhor (bo|t=བར་སྐོར་|w=bar-skor|z=Pargor; zh-sp|s=八廓|p=bākuò) is an area of narrow streets and a public square located around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.

The Barkor was the most popular devotional circumabulation for pilgrims and locals. The walk was about one kilometre long and encircled the entire Jokhang, the former seat of the State Oracle in Lhasa called the Muru Nyingba Monastery, and a number of nobles' houses. There were four large incense burners ("sangkangs") in the four cardinal directions, with incense burning constantly, to please the gods protecting the Jokhang. [Dowman, Keith (1998). "The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide", pp. 40-41. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0.] Most of the old streets and buildings have been demolished in recent and replaced with wider streets and new buildings. According to the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet, these modifications were performed by Chinese authorities to control political demonstrations, as thenarrow streets allowed Tibetans to escape police gunfire. [ [http://www.tibetjustice.org/reports/housingrights.pdf HOUSING RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN OCCUPIED TIBET] ]

The Barkor became touristic in the 80', and it therefore became the place of demonstrations of Tibetan monks and nuns requesting Freedom for Tibet. This is there that were arrested Ngawang Sangdrol, Phuntsog Nyidron and Ngawang Phulchung after their demonstrations. During the 2008 unrest in Tibet, a demonstration happened March 11, and after the monks were beaten by the police forces, riots have burst in Lhasa and buildings of the Barkhor were burned by rioters. [http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10875823 Trashing the Beijing Road] ] .

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