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Jokhang Temple Facts |
Historically, the Jokhang temple was built to house a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni, which was a dowry brought by the Nepal Princess Bhrikuti - the first wife of King Songtsem Gampo (617 – 650, the 33rd king of Tibet). During King Songtsem Gampo’s reign, Tibet gains a great achievement in developing the economy. In order to promote a friendly relationship with the neighboring countries, he successively married two princesses: Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty. As part of the dowry, each of the two princesses brought a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni. To house the Buddha brought by Princess Wen Cheng, King Songtsem Gampo constructed the little Jokhang temple. Before long, King Songtsem Gampo built a Jokhang for Princess Burikuti to house the statue she brought.
In the late 7th century, Jokhang Temple was badly destroyed by followers of the Bon religion. These followers strongly objected to Buddhism and destroyed a lot of Buddhist temples. To protect the Jokhang temple from the destruction, the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha was buried under the ground of Jokhang Temple.
The Jokhang temple is a four-story construction, with roofs covered with gilded bronze tiles. The architectural style is based on the Indian vihara design, and was later extended resulting in a blend of Nepalese and Tang Dynasty styles. The rooftop statues of two golden deer flanking a Dharma wheel is iconic. Jokhang's interior is a dark and atmospheric labyrinth of chapels dedicated to various gods and bodhisattvas, illuminated by votive candles and thick with the smoke of incense. Although some of the temple has been rebuilt, original elements remain: the wooden beams and rafters have been shown by carbon dating to be original; the Newari door frames, columns and finials date from the 7th and 8th centuries.
Architectural Structure of the Jokhang Temple
The Jokhang temple sits on Barkhor Square in the old section of Lhasa. The entire temple complex occupies approximately 25,000 square meters. Pilgrims circumambulate the temple as part a pilgrimage to the site. The circumabulation route is known as the "kora" in Tibetan and is marked by four large stone incense burners placed at the corners of the temple complex. After circumambulating the exterior, pilgrims make their way to the main hall of the temple which houses the Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha statue, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism.
The Kora of Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet
For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug School. Jokhang Temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual centre of Lhasa.
In Jokhang temple, there are many places worth sightseeing. Here we will give you a list of highlights of Jokhang temple.
Top 1. Visit the priceless life-sized sitting Sakyamuni statue.
For visitors, there are some useful travel tips for you to refer to.
