The Jokhang Temple, also known as "Zulakang" and "Juekang" (meaning Buddhist temple in Tibetan), is located in the center of the old city of Lhasa. It is a Tibetan Buddhist temple built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. The reason why Lhasa is a "holy place" "The reputation is related to this Buddha statue. The temple was originally called "Jhasa", and later Jhasa became the name of the city and evolved into the current "Lhasa". After the Jokhang Temple was built, it underwent repeated modifications and expansions in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties before it reached its current scale.
The Jokhang Temple has a history of more than 1,300 years and occupies the supreme status in Tibetan Buddhism. The Jokhang Temple is the most glorious existing Tibetan-era building in Tibet. It is also the earliest civil structure building in Tibet and pioneered the Tibetan Pingchuan-style temple and municipal regulations.
The circle surrounding the Sakyamuni Buddha Hall in the center of the Jokhang Temple is called "Nangkuo", the circle surrounding the outer wall of Jokhang Temple is called "Bakuo", and the streets radiating out from the Jokhang Temple are called "Bakuo Street", that is, Bajiao Street. . With the Jokhang Temple as the center and including the Potala Palace, Yaowang Mountain and Ramoche Temple, the large circle is called "Lin Kuo". These three rings from the inside to the outside are the routes used by Tibetans to perform prayer rituals.
The Jokhang Temple combines Tibetan, Tang, Nepalese and Indian architectural styles and has become an eternal model of Tibetan religious architecture.
Incense is lingering in front of the temple all day long, and believers worship devoutly, leaving deep impressions on the bluestone floor in front of the temple that are as long as their body length. Thousands of butter lamps are always bright, leaving traces of time and pilgrims.
You can see the Jokhang Temple Square from the Golden Dome of the Jokhang Temple. The Potala Palace is on the mountain in the distance on the right. The willow tree nearby is the "Princess Willow", which is said to have been planted by Princess Wencheng. The layout and orientation of the Jokhang Temple is different from that of Han Buddhist temples. Its main hall faces east and west. The main hall is four stories high, with auxiliary halls on both sides. The layout and structure reproduces the ideal cosmic model of the mandala mandala in Buddhism. The main Buddhist halls in the temple include Sakyamuni Hall, Master Tsongkhapa Hall, Songtsen Gampo Hall, Bandan Lhamo Hall (the protector of the Gelug Sect), God Sheep Remu Jem Hall, and Tibetan King Hall. etc. There are various wood carvings and murals in the temple.
Going away from the main entrance of the Jokhang Temple is the patio-style courtyard, which is the birthplace of "Gesheng" (a high-level degree in Tibetan Buddhism, equivalent to a doctorate) in Tibetan Buddhism. In 1409 AD, Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect, founded the Chuanzhao Dharma Assembly in the Jokhang Temple and established it as the largest religious event in Tibetan Buddhism. From then on, the Huang Sect became famous. During the Dharma Assembly, monks from major temples gathered in this temple. Watch the outstanding monks elected by the temple give a heated reply. There are several rows of butter lamps on the east side of the courtyard, which are always lit during the day. People from each family here are responsible for adding ghee.
Behind the butter lamp is the main entrance of the main hall of Jokhang Temple. The earliest buildings of Jokhang Temple started from the main entrance; the outer courtyard was built and expanded later, and the main hall was built more than 1,400 years ago. Due to the friction between believers for many years, the stone floor at the door is as bright as a mirror. There are huge Buddha statues on the left and right sides of the main hall. On the left is Padmasambhava, the Tantric master who founded the Red Sect. He was originally a Buddhist from India and entered Tibet in the eighth century. After he entered Tibet, Tantric Buddhism began to appear in Tibet. On the right is the future Buddha.
On the right side of the entrance to the main hall is a mural about the story of the construction of the Jokhang Temple. The main content is the appearance of the early Potala Palace in the 7th century, and the scene of filling in the lake to build the Jokhang Temple. The first small hall, clockwise from left to right, houses Tsongkhapa and his eight disciples. These eight disciples have made great contributions to the promotion of the Yellow Sect. The first Dalai Lama and the first Panchen Lama are both among the eight major disciples. Among the six major temples of the Yellow Sect, Ganden Monastery was built by Tsongkhapa himself, and Drepung Monastery, Sera and Tashilhunpo Monastery were all built by his disciples.
A white pagoda stands at the corner of the west wall and the north wall. It is said that this white pagoda emerged from Wotang Lake before the Jokhang Temple was built. In the first small hall on the south side, there is the Medicine Buddha, one of the eight "leaders of the Oriental Pure Glaze World". Next to the small hall, there is a statue of Milarepa, one of the founders of the White Sect, with his hand beside his ear. There is a third Buddha inside the small hall. The second hall after turning around is the Guanyin Hall. The local people are very pious in the way they make offerings to the Buddha. In the temple, you can often see some local families applying gold powder to the face of Guanyin Bodhisattva. On the right side of this hall are the statues of Songtsen Gampo, Chizun and Princess Wencheng.
In the minds of the Tibetan people, Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng were Bodhisattvas who transformed into kings and queens and educated the Tibetan people. The two princesses are dignified in appearance. Among them, Princess Wencheng is a typical Tang Dynasty woman with her hair tied high in the front. At the corner of the south wall and the east wall, there are Tsongkhapa and other masters of other sects. The first Buddhist hall on the east wall is the Infinite Light Buddha.
Turning around the corner of the temple is a mural. The content is about a celebration organized by Songtsen Gampo and the princess in the seventh century. It was the consecration ceremony for the completion of the Jokhang Temple. It was actually a scene from a traditional sports meeting in the seventh century. Including wrestling, yak dance, mask dance, archery and so on. The mountain on the left side of the mural is Yaowang Mountain, with a TV tower on it. The painting above is the original Tibetan Medical College, and the white pagoda above is the pagoda on the square side in front of the Potala Palace. It was originally the west gate of Lhasa. On the right side of the mural is the earliest Potala Palace with only two main buildings, which is the palace built by Songtsen Gampo.
There are 380 prayer wheels around the main hall, one next to the other. Pushing the prayer wheel while walking is a must-do for many devout believers. After entering the Jokhang Temple from the main entrance, walk clockwise into a wide open-air courtyard, which was once the venue for the grand Lhasa prayer ceremony "Molangqinmo". Tens of thousands of monks from the three major monasteries in Lhasa will gather here to pray for the happiness of all sentient beings and social stability. Activities such as debating scriptures, exorcising ghosts, and welcoming Maitreya Buddha will also be held. "Molangqinmo" began in 1409 AD. In order to commemorate the merits of Sakyamuni's magical transformation of six kinds of heretics, Master Tsongkhapa summoned monks from various monasteries and sects to hold a ceremony during the first month of the Tibetan calendar. It was built to hold blessings and blessings in the Jokhang Temple. The murals on the colonnade walls and the sutra cloister walls around the courtyard are called Thousand Buddha Gallery because they are covered with thousands of Buddha statues. The entire Jokhang Temple has more than 4,400 square meters of murals.
From the courtyard to the ticket office at the side entrance, there are stairs leading directly to the second and third floor platforms. The second floor is only open in the morning. Songtsen Gampo's Dharma King's Hall is also in the southwest corner of the second floor. There are statues of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Chizun of Nepal, and Minister Ludongtsen, which are also early works. Between the second and third floors is the Bandan Lhamo Protector Temple, which is the protector goddess of the Jokhang Temple and the entire city of Lhasa. There is a ladder in the northeast corner of the patio on the second floor, leading to a small door on the third floor, which is the entrance to the Golden Dome. The third floor of the main hall is usually not open to the public, and monks meditate here. The four huge golden domes on the top floor were built in the mid-14th century and the 17th century respectively.
Continue to go around to the right and pass through the Yaksha Hall and the Dragon King Hall on both sides. Behind hundreds of lit butter lamps is the famous "Juekang" Buddhist Hall. It is not only the main body of the Jokhang Temple, but also the place where the sacred Buddha of the Jokhang Temple is located. The Buddhist hall is in the form of a closed courtyard, with a height of four floors and a large sutra hall in the center. Tibetan Buddhist followers believe that Lhasa is the center of the world and the core of the universe lies here. This is the place where the monks of Jokhang Temple chant sutras and practice Dharma. From the main sutra hall, you can see the exquisite statue of Avalokitesvara with Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes in the distance. There are two Buddha statues on both sides, the Padmasambhava on the left and the Jampa Buddha statue on the right. The main sutra hall is surrounded by small Buddhist halls. Except for the Sakyamuni Buddha Hall located in the center, the rooms are not large but the layout is simple. The Sakyamuni Buddha Hall is the core of the Jokhang Temple and is the ultimate destination for pilgrims. The Sakyamuni statue enshrined in this hall was the Buddha statue brought by Princess Wencheng.
It will be complete if you go around the "Juekang" Buddha Hall along the Thousand Buddhas Corridor and make a circle of "Nangkou". The main prayer turning activities in Lhasa are centered around Sakyamuni Buddha in Jokhang Temple. In addition to the "inner circle", surrounding the Jokhang Temple is the "middle circle" or "Bakuo", which is the ancient and lively Commercial Street - Bajiao Street; Surrounding the Jokhang Temple, Yaowang Mountain, Potala Palace and Ramoche Temple is the "outer circle", that is, the "Lin Kuo", which has circled most of Lhasa City.
In Lhasa, Tibetans also like to call the area around Bajiao Street, which is dominated by the Jokhang Temple, "Lhasa", which means Buddhist land in Tibetan. You can also see worshipers kowtow at the entrance of the Jokhang Temple. The scene is touching and shows that the Jokhang Temple is The temple has a high status in the hearts of Lhasa people, and more people circle the Jokhang Temple every day to pray. Many monks also set up their presence near the Jokhang Temple, singing sutras and alms to passers-by.