Lhasa (Sakya Rule Period)

Timeline

1. 1221–1224Jokhang Temple · LhasaLhasa's faith core was the Śākyamuni statue of the Jokhang, drawing pilgrims from Kham, Ü, and Tsang. Markets operated around Barkhor Street, with temples and secular lords jointly managing trade and taxes, keeping the city's religious status secure.
2. 1225–1228Lhasa · LhasaThe Phagmodrupa Kagyu maintained local rule in Ü-Tsang, with Lhasa under a multi-sect shared-governance pattern. Kagyu monasteries controlled some estates and arbitration rights, forming an east–west standoff with Sakya's growth in Tsang, and the city's politics took on a sectarian-competition character.
3. 1229–1230Lhasa · LhasaRelying on diplomatic maneuvering on the eve of the Mongol Empire's eastward expansion, the Sakya sect began sending representatives to Lhasa and befriending secular nobles. The city's status as the religious center of all Tibet made it a key stronghold for the later Sakya regime's administration of Ü-Tsang after establishing rule.