Lhasa

Timeline

1. c. 633–842Lhasa · TibetSongtsen Gampo built the Potala Palace and introduced Buddhism; the Jokhang and Ramoche temples became the core of Tibetan faith, Lhasa was established as the dual political and religious center of the Tibetan Empire, and pilgrimage routes and monastic economic networks expanded from there.
2. 1231–1240Lhasa · TibetAfter the fall of the Tibetan Empire, various sects and local powers carved up the region; though Lhasa lost its function as capital of a unified regime, it still centered on the Jokhang Temple in drawing pilgrims, merchants, and tribute from monastic estates, serving as the hub of religious authority and symbolic political space in Tibet.
3. 1240–1250Lhasa · TibetThe aftershocks of the Mongol Empire's western campaigns approached Tibet; Lhasa's monastic network and local nobility maintained autonomy under the religious order. The subsequent meeting between Godan Khan and Sakya Pandita would transform Tibet's political and religious landscape, but the holy city's status endured.