Jokhang

The Jokhang is the most sacred temple in Tibet, the place every Tibetan Buddhist hopes to reach at least once, and the old heart of Lhasa grew up around it. It was founded in the 7th century under King Songtsen Gampo, the first ruler of a unified Tibet, to house a Buddha image brought by his Nepalese queen Bhrikuti; its design is attributed to Nepalese craftsmen. Its greatest treasure is the Jowo Shakyamuni, a statue of the Buddha as a young prince, believed to have been brought from Tang China by his Chinese queen Wencheng and later moved here from the nearby Ramoche Temple. Pilgrims regard it as the holiest image in the country.

The temple was enlarged many times over the following nine centuries, and the complex now combines a Gelug monastery with the original temple, rising four storeys under gilded roofs. It faces west onto Barkhor Square. Two stone pillars by the entrance carry an edict of 1794, part of which Tibetans have chiselled away in the belief that the stone itself heals. Inside, a ring of large prayer wheels leads to the main shrine, surrounded by chapels; pilgrims prostrate themselves on the worn flagstones and queue to lay white scarves before the Jowo. The Potala Palace is about 1 km to the west.

The Jokhang's modern history has been hard. Red Guards attacked it in August 1966; for years there was no worship, and parts were reportedly used as barracks and a slaughterhouse. It was restored between 1972 and 1980 and reconsecrated. In 2000 UNESCO added it to the Potala Palace World Heritage Site, though the streets around it have since been partly redeveloped. In February 2018 a fire broke out in part of the complex; images of it were quickly removed from Chinese social media, and the extent of the damage was never made clear.

The best way to understand the temple is to join the kora, the clockwise walk around it along the Barkhor, which takes about 20 minutes. Pilgrims spin prayer wheels, count rosaries and sometimes measure out the route in full-length prostrations; early morning and dusk are the busiest times. Lhasa lies at about 3,650 m, so allow time to acclimatise before climbing stairs.

Getting there

The Jokhang stands on Barkhor Square in the old town of central Lhasa. Access is restricted: travellers who are not citizens of the People's Republic of China can only visit Tibet on an organised tour with a Tibet Entry Permit, arranged through a licensed Chinese travel agency, and must be accompanied by a guide. Permits are checked on boarding trains and flights and at major sights, and they can be suspended at short notice. Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA) is about 45 km from the temple, 40–60 minutes by road. The Qinghai–Tibet railway links Lhasa with Xining, Chengdu, Beijing and other cities.