The Jokhang
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The Jokhang (formally, Tsug Lha Khang, or Central Cathedral) is the most sacred temple in Tibet. It was established in the seventh century by King Songtsen Gampo in order to house the image of Akshobhya (Mikyo Dorje) Buddha offered to him by his Nepalese wife, Trisun (Bhrikuti). At this time it was called the 'Trulnang' temple. Only later, when the Jowo Shakyamuni statue given to the king by Wen Cheng, his Chinese wife, was moved here from the Ramoche Temple, was it given it present name 'Jokhang', the 'Shrine of the Jowo'. The Akshobhya statue exchanged places with the Jowo, and was installed in Ramoche. The Jowo stature was part of the Chinese princess's dowry. It was originally given to her father, T'ai-tsung, the second T'ang emperor, by a king from Bengal. The Tibetans believe that it was originally crafted by the celestial artist Vishvakarman at the time of the Buddha. When Wen Cheng came to Tibet, she was accompanied by many Chinese artisans, who built Ramoche to house it. The Jokhang was originally designed by Nepalese craftsmen on behalf of Queen Trisun. In order to build the Jokhang, the Othang Lake was filled in with earth, transported by goats. The original name of the town, Rasa ('place of the goat') was changed to Lhasa ('place of the deity') following the temple's consecration. The site was considered to be the principal geomantic power-place in Tibet, corresponding to the heart of the supine ogress or demoness who represented the Tibetan land. To subdue the demoness, temples were built on the most prominent parts (shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, feet and hands) of her body. According to tradition, King Songtsen Gampo had many (4 or 12 or 108) of these geomantic temples built. When it was completed, the Jokhang was known as 'Rasa Trulnang ('magical apparition of Rasa). The main gate faces west, towards Nepal, in recognition of Queen Bhrikuti, who bore the expense of the Jokhang's construction. |
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It is unclear why the exchange of the two statures took place. When Songtsen Gampo died, Wen Cheng had the Jowo moved to the Jokhang for protection from an invading Chinese army, and concealed it in one of the chapels. Since its founding, the Jokhang has been considerably enlarged and embellished, in particular during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama. |
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Directly in front of the entrance to the cathedral are three stone steles, in two separate enclosures. The tallest of these carries a bilingual inscription of the Tibetan-Chinese agreement of 821 between the Tibetan king, Tri Ralpchen, and the Chinese emperor, Wen Wu Hsiao-te Wang-ti. The other two, from 1794, are inscribed in Chinese, and tell of the dangers of smallpox, and means to cure it. |
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