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Jokhang
Jokhang
	; The Jokhang Temple
Tibetan name
Tibetan:	ཇོ་ཁང་
Wylie transliteration:	Jo-khang
Chinese name
traditional:	大昭寺
simplified:	哲蚌寺
Pinyin:	Dàzhāosì
	; Jokhang Location within Tibet
Coordinates:	29°39′11″N 91°2′51″E / 29.65306°N 91.0475°E
Monastery information
Location:	Barkhor, Lhasa, Tibet, China
Founded by:	Songsten Gampo
Founded:	7th century
Type:	Tibetan Buddhist
Sect:	Gelug
Dedicated to:	Shakyamuni
Architecture:	Home of the most venerated statue in Tibet

The Jokhang, (Tibetan: ཇོ་ཁང་; Wylie: Jo-khang; Chinese: 大昭寺; pinyin: Dàzhāosì), also called the Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang), is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. It was built during the reign of king Songsten Gampo (605?-650 CE) to celebrate his marriage with Chinese Tang Dynasty princess Wencheng, who was a Buddhist.^[1]

The temple was, and sometimes still is, called the 'Tsuklakang' (Tsulag Khang) — 'House of Religious Science' or 'House of Wisdom.' The term tsuklak refers to the 'sciences' such as geomancy, astrology, and divination which formed part of the pre-Buddhist shamanistic religion now referred to as Bon.^[2] It is more commonly known today as the Jokhang, which means the 'House of the Buddha'.^[1]

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.

Along with the Potala Palace, it is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Lhasa. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace," and a spiritual centre of Lhasa.

[edit] History

Jokhang – mid 1840s

The Jokhang temple was constructed by King Songtsän Gampo (see also internet variant Songsten Gampo) probably in 642. It was originally called the Rasa Tulnang Tsuklakang or The House of Mysteries, The Magical Emanation at Rasa [the early name for Lhasa]. Both Bhrituti and Wencheng, the Nepalese and Chinese wives of Songsten Gampo are said to have brought important Buddhist statues and images to Tibet as part of their dowries, and they were housed here.

It was boarded up during the reign of the Bönpo king, Langdharma (reigned 838–841 CE). The famous Buddhist Master Atisha taught here in the 11th century and it has been considered the most important temple in Lhasa ever since.

This temple has remained a key center of Buddhist pilgrimage for centuries. It was sacked several times by the Mongols, but the building survived. In the past several centuries the temple complex was expanded and now covers an area of about 25,000 sq. meters.

There is a walled enclosure in front of the Jokhang which contains some willows called the Jowo Utra ('Hair of the Jowo') and a doring or inscribed pillar erected by the Chinese in 1793 during a smallpox epidemic. It records the Sino-Tibetan treaty of 822 concluded by King Ralpacan and includes the following inscription: "Tibet and China shall abide by the frontiers of which they are now in occupation. All to the east is the country of Great China; and all to the west is, without question, the country of Great Tibet. Henceforth on neither side shall there be waging of war nor seizing of territory. If any person incurs suspicion he shall be arrested; his business shall be inquired into and he shall be escorted back," as well as advice on hygiene measures to prevent smallpox.^[3]^[4]

[edit] Architecture

Jokhang Square, the first destination or drop-off for most tourists.jpg

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.

The Jokhang temple complex has several decorated shrines and rooms. The main hall of the temple houses the Jowo Shakyamuni Buddha statue, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. There are also famous statues of Chenresig, Padmasambhava and King Songtsan Gambo and his two famous foreign brides, Princess Wen Cheng (niece of Emperor Taizong of Tang China) and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Many of the statues were destroyed during the "cultural revolution" but have since been remade – often including broken pieces of the original statues.

The Jokhang Temple interior

Gilt roof of the Jokhang

Prayer and prostration in front of the Jokhang

Around Jokhang

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b Norbu and Turnbull 1969, p. 143
^ Dowman 1998, p. 286
^ Dowman 1998, pp. 40–41
^ The entire text of the treaty, with its remarkable imagery describing the relationship between the Tibetan King and Chinese Emperor as being one of "nephew and uncle" can be found at [www.tpprc.org/documents/agreements/821-822.pdf]"TREATY BETWEEN TIBET AND CHINA A.D. 821-822"

[edit] References

Dowman, Keith. The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. 1998. Routledge & kegan Paul, London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0
Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin. Tibet: Its History Religion and People (1969). Chatto & Windus. ISBN 0701113545. Reprint: (1987) Penguin Books, England.
Vitali, Roberto. Early Temples of Central Tibet. 1990 Serindia Publications. London. ISBN 0-906026-25-3

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

Vitali, Roberto. 1990. Early Temples of Central Tibet. Serindia Publications. London. ISBN 0-906026-25-3. Chapter Three: "Lhasa Jokhang and its Secret Chapel." Pages 69–88.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jokhang

Coordinates: 29°39′11″N 91°07′53″E / 29.65306°N 91.13139°E / 29.65306; 91.13139

[norbu143-0] Norbu and Turnbull 1969, p. 143

[1] Dowman 1998, p. 286

[2] Dowman 1998, pp. 40–41

[entire-3] The entire text of the treaty, with its remarkable imagery describing the relationship between the Tibetan King and Chinese Emperor as being one of "nephew and uncle" can be found at [www.tpprc.org/documents/agreements/821-822.pdf]"TREATY BETWEEN TIBET AND CHINA A.D. 821-822"

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