Shocking Devotion: Tibetan Pilgrims on the Road

“The black earth I measured with my body.
The white clouds I counted with my fingers.
I climbed steep cliffs like stepping a ladder.
I crossed vast grasslands like flipping through scriptures…”
— Tibetan Folk Song

The power of faith is infinite. Standing among these pilgrims, you can’t help but reflect on life itself.

Prostration Pilgrimage

“Prostration,” or long kowtow, is one of the most sincere forms of devotion in Tibetan Buddhism. As pilgrims throw themselves to the ground, they pay homage with their body, recite mantras with their speech, and remain mindful with their thought—a complete union of body, speech, and mind.

During the act, hands joined in prayer touch the head, mouth, and chest—symbolizing unification with the Buddha in body, speech, and mind. Many believe one must prostrate at least 100,000 times in a lifetime to be considered truly devout. Some pilgrims perform an even more difficult practice: for each prostration, they advance only the length of their own body. To circle a monastery one kilometer in circumference may require over 2,000 full-body bows, often scraping hands and knees until they bleed.

Holy Grounds Between Heaven and Earth

Sacred places serve as the threshold between the mundane world and the divine. To step into such places is to connect with eternal power. Pilgrims believe that true reverence must involve action, mantra, and consciousness.

There are several types of prostration:

• Stationary: Performed at a home altar or temple entrance, repeating the motion for a set number of times. Over years, temple stones become polished from bodies sliding across them.

• Short-distance: Circling temples, holy mountains, lakes, or relic sites—ranging from hours to weeks.

• Long-distance: Traveling thousands of kilometers by foot, often for months or years, sleeping outdoors, crawling across stone, sand, and snow. Many pilgrims even take on the grueling journey along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, three steps and one bow at a time.

The Heart of Faith: Jokhang Temple

Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is revered by Tibetan Buddhists because it enshrines a life-sized statue of Shakyamuni Buddha at the age of 12—said to be brought from Chang'an by Princess Wencheng during the Tang Dynasty. Legend says that the statue was blessed by the Buddha himself during his lifetime. Of the three such statues (ages 8, 12, and 25), only the 12-year-old figure remains in Tibet, making it immeasurably precious.

Every morning, as mist still lingers, thousands of pilgrims gather at the temple gates. Regardless of heat, cold, hunger, or exhaustion, they prostrate step by step toward the Buddha image—some willing to die en route just to fulfill this act of devotion.

Even today, countless pilgrims bow before the statue every day, each motion infused with reverence. The stone at the temple’s entrance has been polished like a mirror by the wear of devoted bodies.

A City of Pilgrimage

The air is filled with the rich scent of yak butter lamps. Amid whispered mantras of Om Mani Padme Hum, you are swept along in the clockwise flow of pilgrims through the narrow alleys of Barkhor Street, the Thousand Buddha Corridor, and Lingkhor Road. Along the way are elderly believers, monks, and laypeople, faces marked by time, but eyes full of quiet determination—bowing every three steps, chanting with every breath, heading steadily toward the sacred city.

On the Road: Long-Distance Prostration

Throughout Tibet, it’s common to see groups of people performing long-distance prostration toward Lhasa. Their sheer persistence is deeply moving.

These three pilgrims came from Qinghai Province. One full-body prostration after another, they press forward. When they encounter rivers, they prostrate the width of the water before crossing. At the end of each day, they mark the spot and begin again the next morning, never skipping a step.

Even when traffic interrupts them, they mark their position with a line or stone, refusing shortcuts. Fueled by unwavering faith, they slowly inch closer to Lhasa.

Surprisingly, many of these pilgrims are young—not just elders. They wear thick aprons of hide, kneepads, and wooden hand guards. Each bow leaves their hands and knees worn and bruised, but their will remains unbroken.

Their companion, the "logistics captain," pulls a cart filled with daily necessities: a stove, bedding, tents, and food. He sets up camp each day in preparation for the others to arrive by dusk.

This small team marches day after day, month after month. Some may need several months, others several years to complete their pilgrimage.

Why Prostrate?
Not for fame.
Not for fortune.
Only for faith.

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