Yaowang Mountain

Chinese name: 药王山（Yao Wang Shan）
Location: Lhasa city , right side of Potala Palace
Estimated time of tour: 30min-1H
Ticket: Free
Recommended time of visit: All year round
Nearby attractions: Potala Palace, Barkhor Street, Jokhang Monastery, Zongjiaolukang park, Norbulingka Palace, etc.

Some people say the best location to photograph the mighty Potala Palace is the Yaowang Hill. It sits right next to the Palace. It is not uncommon to see groups of photographers gathering in the mountain to take shoots when the first sunray hits the Palace. Yaowang in mandarin means “the god of medicine”. There is a statue of the Buddha of Medicine inside the cave of the hill, hence the name Yaowangshan, the Hill of the Medicine God. But it is called Chakpori Hill by local Tibetan. 

During the middle of 17th century, in the early Qing  Dynasty , a temple was erected on the top of the mountain. Within this temple was placed a sapphire figure of a certain Tibetan Medicine King. Legend has it that the King was the avatar of Sakyamuni, who was able to treat patients no matter how difficult it is. Under the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama, monks from all over the country were brought to this temple to systematically study and coordinate the knowledge of traditional Tibetan medicine. Later, the temple became the Tibetan Medicine Bureau, but over time it fell into ruin.

One outstanding feature of this hill is the Thousand Buddha Cliff. This is a cliff on which various figures and gods of Tibetan Buddhism are engraved. A grotto was well preserved on the southeast side of the hill. The grotto is 27 square meters and in the shape of unequal rectangle. There are 69 stone statues engraved on the rock, vivid and lifelike, which represent the soul of Tibetan stone inscription art. At the north foot of the mountain is a spring. The fountain, pure and sweet, was named "Holy Water". It is said that the fountain was the favorite of the Dalai Lama half a century ago.

There went a story about Princess Wenchen’s presence on this hill. Wenchen was a Han Chinese who was engaged a political wedding, married the King of Tibet Songsten Gampo. The stone on top of the hill was the place where Princess Wenchen prayed to the east where her home was when she was homesick.

These days, the Chakpori Hill is a popular site for visitors from home and abroad. People are visiting this site for its ideal location to photograph Potala Palace and for its historical interest.