Lingkhor is a sacred

Sacred

Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...

 path, most commonly used to name the outer pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...

 road in Lhasa

Lhasa

Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...

 matching its inner twin Barkhor

Barkhor

The Barkhor is an area of narrow streets and a public square located around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.The Barkor is a popular devotional circumabulation for pilgrims and locals...

. The Lingkhor in Lhasa was 8 kilometres (5 mi) long enclosing Old Lhasa, the Potala and Chokpori

Chokpori

Chokpori, Chagpori, Chagpo Ri is a sacred hill in the city of Lhasa in Tibet. It south of the Potala and just to the left when one is facing the Potala. It is considered to be one of the four holy mountains of central Tibet....

. In former times it was crowded with men and women covering its length in prostration

Prostration

Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...

s, beggars and pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...

s approaching the city for the first time. The road passed through willow-shaded parks where the Tibetans used to picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...

 in summer and watch open air operas on festival days.

New Lhasa has obliterated most of Lingkhor, but one stretch still remains west of Chokpori. A bridge about 1 km west of the Potala on the main road with green buildings beyond it is the landmark. The Lingkhor stretches left before the bridge between walls and willow

Willow

Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...

 trees. After making a turn to the right it peters out at a duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

 pond

Pond

A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...

. Open-air Tibetan opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s are still performed within earshot of the pond on festival days, one of which falls in June.