Jokhang Temple
Location:Located in the centre of old Lhasa city
Transportation: By minibus to Tibetan hospital. By tricycle is not a bad choice.
Open Hour: All day. At 14:00 novice monks meet on the balcony of the second floor to debate religious doctrine
Admission Fee: RMB 70 per person.
Evaluation:“No one will go to Tibet without visiting the Jokhang Monastery.” The famous Lama Nimaciren of the Johkang Monastery said，and each tourist will agree with his remarks. Recommendation Rate:☆☆☆☆
Brief introduction to the Jokhang Temple
Located in the centre of old Lhasa city, the Johkang Monastery is a prime seat of the Gelugpa (Yellow) of the Tibetan Buddhism. It was first built in 647AD. In 643AD, eighteen-year-old Princess Wencheng in Tang Dynasty reached Lhasa. She brought with her a life-sized statue of Sakyamuni at the age of 12. It was believed that the statue was modeled according to the appearance of Sakyamuni and was consecrated by Sakyamuni himself. There were three life-sized statues of Sakyamuni in the world. One is eight years old, another twelve years old and the last eighteen years old. Originally, the life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 16 was in India, however, it sank into the Indian Ocean in the religious war. Thus, the life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 12 was the most precious one. Songtsen Gampo constructed the Ramoche Monastery for Princess Wencheng to house the statue, and he also built the Johkang Monastey for Nepalese Princess Khidzun. When the Princess Jicheng brought the statue of Sakyamuni from the Ramoche Monastery to the Jokhang Monastery, it became the worshiping centre. After years of expansion, the Jokhang Monastery has today’s scale.
Lamas of Jokhang Monastery chant sutras at night, it is worth listening.
Guides are not enough in the monastery and only serve for tourism groups.
The life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 12 is the most scared statue in the eyes of Tibetan people.