Jokhang Temple

Jokhang temple is the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet and it is located in the center of Lhasa city. Originally it was built for the holy statue of the Buddha called Mikyoe Dorjee that was brought to Tibet by Brikuti Devi, the Nepalese wife of king Songtsen Gambo as her dowry. In the meantime, Princess Wencheng also brought another statue of the Buddha and for that princess Wencheng made, the shape of the land of Tibet is like a female demon lying on her back and the location of this temple is where the heart is. There was a lake here called Wotang and the temple was built on it after it was covered. The two statues were later put in the wrong temples intentionally after king Songtsen Gambo passed away. So today the holy statue that we see in Jokhang is the one brought by princess Wechang, the Chinese wife of king Songtsen.

For the Tibetans, this statue is so holy that it is considered almost like the Buddha Shakyamuni in person. Every day you can see thousands of pilgrims in line to pay homage and make offerings to the Buddha statue.

You can also see hundreds of people prostrating the holy temple which are important physical practices to accumulate merit and purify sins that one has committed through his or her body. At the same time, they pray for the welfare of all beings, recite mantras, and meditate or think of the Buddha or Bodhisattvas and their deeds to help all the beings. Beside the main chapel, there are also many other chapels for the statue of different Buddhas, Boddhisattvas, and masters.