Jokhang Manastery

Jokhang Monastery [大昭寺]
Lhasa [拉萨], Tibet [西藏]
May 3-4, 2007
World Cultural Heritage Site

Located in the center of Lhasa, the Jokhang Monastery was built by King Srongtsan Gampo [松赞干布] for his 2nd wife Princess Tritsun [赤尊公主] from Nepal in the 7th century. The site was chosen by Princess Wenchen [文成公主] from the Tang Dynasty who had just become the 3rd wife of Srongtsan Gampo. Its main four-story building combines the Han, Tibetan, Indian and Nepalese architectural styles. Located at the center of the Monastery is a gold statue of the 12-year-old Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. The more than 2500-year-old statue was certified by Buddha Sakyamuni himself for its resemblance.

Located in front of the Jokhang Monastery is a stele [唐蕃会盟碑] documenting the alliance between the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Tibetan Kingdom [吐蕃王朝] (629-842). The monastery is a must for pilgrims, who devoutly kneel, lie flat with face down, then rise and repeat [等身长跪] outside its front entrance. Some come from thousands of kilometers away, inching forward on the road by repeating the ritual.

This girl in purple sweater was still kneeling-and-rising when we exited the monastery three hours later.
Parkhor (Octagon) Street [八廓街]