Pilgrims put faith in Tibet railway

LHASA - Wearing a brand-new Tibetan robe and grasping prayer beads, Kunga Samdrup was excited embarking on his first pilgrimage into Tibet via train.

Among bustling crowds in this busy season for such pilgrimages, the 42-year-old herdsman visited Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, for the first time before taking another train to Tashilhunpo Monastery in Xigaze, traditional seat of the Panchen Lama.

For pilgrims in his hometown in Guoluo Prefecture of Qinghai Province, the near-2,000-km journey into Tibet used to be lengthy and bumpy, as the most available and affordable means had long been by horse and bus, even by foot.

But the opening of a new line has bolstered a rail network that had already brought Tibet closer to the rest of China since 2006 and accelerated a trend of more modern pilgrimages by train.

"Old people in our place used to spend a year or two on horseback visiting these temples, but now it's a day on the train, " said Kunga Samdrup, who traveled with his family of eight. "Many of my neighbors have visited Tibet in recent years, so I also decided to go."

The vogue for pilgrimages by train has developed especially after services began on the Lhasa-Xigaze railway in August. After the Qinghai-Tibet Railway connected the southwestern autonomous region with other parts of China eight years ago, this second railway in Tibet now links Lhasa and the religiously important city of Xigaze.

Local rail authorities said tickets have been in hot demand. The new line has transported 67,000 passengers in the first month since its opening, including many pilgrims visiting Tibet and local worshipers heading to Xigaze and other parts of China.

"We're now expecting a large wave of herdsman passengers, who will start their pilgrimage during the winter's slack season," Zhao Hailin, vice head of the Lhasa Railway Station, told Xinhua.

Pilgrimage is an important practice for followers of Tibetan Buddhism. One of Tibet's many spectacular sights is pilgrims performing prostration all the way to the temple to show piety. However, the region's size and poor road conditions mean pilgrimages on foot don't suit everyone.

Wangdrak, a 68-year-old villager from Tibet's Shannan Prefecture, was happy to take a train to fulfill his lifetime wish of visiting Xigaze.

"I've made several pilgrimages to Lhasa, but never to Xigaze. My wife and I are too old and frail for a prostration journey of that distance," he said on a train to Xigaze.

Tashi, a 26-year-old on a Xigaze-Lhasa train, suggested preference for the train was not restricted to older believers.

"We office clerks have busy schedules, so even a bus trip to Lhasa costs too much time and trouble for me. But by taking trains, we can complete a pilgrimage on any weekend," he said.

It is not just Buddhist sights in Tibet that have been made more accessible by the train. Places like Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai and Lama Temple in Beijing have also seen increased numbers of pilgrims. The trend is also true vice versa.

Trains have offered faster and safer trips to sacred sites without clashing with the tradition of pilgrimages by foot, as both serve to fulfill faith, said Tsering Gyalpo, head of the Institute of Religion of the Tibetan Academy of Social Science.

"The Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Lhasa-Xigaze Railway have brought substantial convenience to Tibetan worshipers and also promoted the spread of Tibetan cultures," he said.