Introduction

Pilgrimage is a core element of religious practice in the Tibetan cultural world. Indigenous monastic authorities have disputed its spiritual value in the past, ¹ and the practice was suppressed by the Chinese political authorities during the 1960s and ’70s. But pilgrimage today remains not only an almost universal feature of Tibetan society, but also serves as a prominent indicator of local and national cultural identity. Through an examination of pilgrimage in Tibet we can, therefore, gain great insight into a wide variety of aspects of Tibetan history, culture, and identity, as well as illuminating wider fields and disciplines of study.