Situated right in the centre of old town Lhasa, the Jokhang Temple boasts of a history of more than 1,350 years. Legends have it that the construction of the temple took King Songtsen Gampo, Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng three years to complete.

　　Because the original site of the temple had been a lake, the princesses had to have white goats to carry soil from elsewhere to fill the lake up.

　　At first, the Jokhang Temple was called "resa" and later changed to be called "jokhang" to mean "Buddhist chapel" in the Tibetan language. "Resa" in Tibetan means soil and goats to indicate that the temple was built with the soil carried to the site by white goats.

　　However, there is another saying about the name of the temple. It is said that the new name has something to do with the Monlam Festival created by Tsongkapa in the 15th century.

　　The Jokhang Temple, first built in the shape of a two-story boat, is the most magnificent building remaining from the Tupo Dynasty in Tibet. After being refitted and enlarged by the ensuing dynasties, it now covers an area of more than 25,100 square meters.

　　In the front courtyard there are three stone tablets right beside the main gate. The alliance treaty between the Tang Dynasty and the Tupo Dynasty in 823 A.D. is among the trio. The treaty is inscribed in both Tibetan and Chinese languages.

　　There is a walk-round around the main temple in the courtyard. Twisting sutra drums are arranged to line the walk-round and there are frescoes of one thousand Buddhas on the walls surrounding the courtyard.

　　Inside the temple there are several chapels. The Jokhang Temple is the main chapel that is in the shape of a courtyard. Behind hundreds of yak-butter lamps, there is the main prayer hall which houses the statue of Avalokitesvara with eleven faces and one thousand arms and one thousand eyes on hand palms.

　　On the left is the statue of Padmanatesvara and on the right is the statue of Buddha Jampa.

　　The frescoes on the right wall of the main prayer hall describe the construction of the Jokhang Temple and of the Potala Palace.

　　Behind the main prayer hall is the chapel of Sakyamuni that houses the famous gilded statue of Jowo Buddha representing Buddha Sakyamuni as a 12-year-old. The chapel is the must of pilgrims in the Jokhang Temple. Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng brought the statue to Tibet when she married Songtsen Gampo.

　　The chapel housing the statue of Songtsen Gampo, who is deemed as the religious king in Tibet, is found on the second floor of the temple. The third floor is a place for monks and lamas to retreat and is seldom open to visitors or pilgrims.

　　One of the treasures found in the temple is a golden urn, called Jinbenbaping, which Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty had cast in the 57th year of his reign (1792) for the reincarnation of the dalai and panchen lamas. The urn is enshrined in front of the statue of Tsongkapa. The urn stands 34 centimeters high and is covered with patterns of lotus flower petals and plant branches. Inside the urn are five ivory lots. When the soul boy of the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Erdeni has to be determined, names of the soul boy candidates are written on the lots. The urn is then sealed and shaken repeatedly. After this, one lot is drawn out of the urn to decide on the chosen boy embodying the soul of the demised Living Buddha.

　　In front of the Jokhang Temple is the Princess Willow. Legends have it that when Tang Dynasty Princess Wencheng got married in Tubo, she planted the tree. There are also stories that tell that she had planted three other willow trees, at the foot of the Potala Palace, in front of the Ramoche Monastery and at the Balangxoi (Black Tent) in eastern Lhasa respectively. (End)