Jokhang
The Jokhang (Tibetan: ཇོ་ཁང།, Chinese: 大昭寺), or the Ra sa 'phrul snang gtsug lag khang, or Qoikang Monastery, or Zuglagkang, (Tibetan: གཙུག་ལག་ཁང༌།, Wylie: gtsug-lag-khang, ZYPY: Zuglagkang or Tsuklakang), is considered the "heart of Lhasa". The Jokhang consists of a Tibetan Buddhist temple, its temple complex, and a Gelug school monastery. Located in Barkhor Square, it was built in c.640 by King Songsten Gampo to house a statue of Akshobhya Buddha brought to Tibet by his Nepalese queen, Bhrikuti. Another statue, the Jowo Buddha, brought by his Tang Chinese queen Wencheng, is currently housed in the temple.
| Jokhang | |
|---|---|
The Jokhang, with Barkhor Square in front | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Sect | Gelug |
| Deity | Shakyamuni; home of the most-venerated statue in Tibet |
| Location | |
| Location | Barkhor, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region |
| Country | China |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Vihara, Tibetan, Nepalese |
| Founder | Songtsen Gampo |
| Date established | 7th century |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Jokhang Temple Monastery |
| Part of | Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iv), (vi) |
| Reference | 707ter-002 |
| Inscription | 1994 (18th Session) |
| Extensions | 2000, 2001 |
| Area | 7.5 ha (810,000 sq ft) |
| Buffer zone | 130 ha (14,000,000 sq ft) |
| Coordinates | 29°39′11″N 91°2′51″E |
Location of Jokhang in Tibet Jokhang (China) | |
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| Tibetan Buddhism |
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Around the 14th century, the temple was associated with the Vajrasana in India. In the 18th century the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, following the Gorkha-Tibetan war in 1792, did not allow the Nepalese to visit this temple and it became an exclusive place of worship for the Tibetans. During the Chinese development of Lhasa, the Barkhor Square in front of the temple was encroached. During the Cultural Revolution, Red Guards attacked the Jokhang temple in 1966 and for a decade there was no worship. Renovation of the Jokhang took place from 1972 to 1980. In 2000, the Jokhang became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an extension of the Potala Palace (a World Heritage Site since 1994). Many Nepalese artists have worked on the temple's design and construction.