A temple built around one image
The Jokhang is often called the holiest temple in Tibet, and the reason lies mostly in one object: a statue of the Buddha known as the Jowo, short for Jowo Shakyamuni, “the Lord Shakyamuni”. Where other temples are famous for their size or art, the Jokhang’s standing comes from the sense that this particular image carries a special blessing. That is a statement about how Tibetan Buddhists regard the temple, not a ranking of sites, and other traditions and communities honour other places as their holiest.
This article is about significance. The founding legends and how the building changed are covered in the history article, so only a short outline is given here.
The Jowo image
The Jowo depicts the Buddha as a young prince, shown at about the age of twelve, richly crowned and adorned. By tradition it was brought to Tibet as part of the marriage of the Chinese princess Wencheng to King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, and a different statue is said to have come with his Nepalese queen. Accounts differ on which statue was placed where, and on the history of the images in the centuries since, including that statues were moved between the Jokhang and another Lhasa temple at some point in tradition. These differences are part of the story rather than a problem to be resolved.
Devotees hold that the image was blessed in the Buddha’s lifetime, or even made under his guidance, according to belief handed down in tradition. These are statements of faith rather than conclusions of art history, and a visitor who does not share them can still understand why they matter to worshippers. Buddha iconography explains how a young prince can be shown in a crown and jewels, in a style associated with the Buddha as a heavenly figure of the Mahayana tradition.
For pilgrims, the statue is a living presence to be approached with respect, not a museum piece. Visiting it is often the goal of a journey that may have taken weeks, and the chance to bow before it is for many a major event of a lifetime.
Why it matters to Tibetan Buddhists
Several strands combine to give the Jokhang its place.
- Origin. It is tied to the tradition of Buddhism’s arrival at the Tibetan royal court, an important moment in the way Tibetans tell their own history. The wider story is part of how Buddhism reaches Tibet.
- The image. The Jowo is regarded as one of the most precious images in Tibet.
- Location. Lhasa has long been a pilgrimage destination, and the Jokhang is the centre of the city’s sacred geography, with the Barkhor circuit around it.
- Shared devotion. People from across the Tibetan regions, belonging to different schools, visit and offer prayers here. Tibetan Buddhist schools such as Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya differ in teaching and lineage, yet the Jokhang is not the property of a single school.
Being a shared place is part of its significance. It is a rare point at which devotees from distant valleys and plateaus meet in a single act of worship.
Within daily devotional life
The temple is active every day. Devotees arrive before dawn to circle the complex, prostrate at the entrance and enter in a stream to offer lamps and scarves. Monks hold regular prayers and ceremonies inside, which visitors may hear as chanting in the halls. Large festival periods draw especially dense crowds. Since dates and arrangements change, check current official information about festival times and whether visitors are admitted.
In family life, a pilgrimage to the Jokhang is often a wish fulfilled for older people, and young people may bring older relatives. Votive items, prayers for deceased relatives and blessings sought for health or travel are among reasons people give. These are personal matters, and visitors should not interrupt someone at prayer.
Place in the wider Lhasa picture
The Jokhang and the Potala Palace are often named together as the two most important buildings in Lhasa, but they play different roles. The Potala was the seat of the Dalai Lamas and the government; the Jokhang is primarily a place of worship open to the wider public. Their different roles help explain why the Jokhang feels more like a gathering place for ordinary pilgrims.
UNESCO’s World Heritage listing for Lhasa includes the Jokhang as an extension to the Potala listing, added in 2000. That recognition covers the building’s cultural value; it does not alter its religious function.
Visiting with respect
Treat the visit as attendance at a working place of worship.
- Dress modestly and remove hats.
- Keep your voice low and move calmly in the queue.
- Do not touch statues or offerings, and do not point your feet at images.
- Ask before photographing, and expect restrictions inside the chapels. Temple photography etiquette is especially important at the Jowo.
- Walk clockwise, as other devotees do.
Entry rules for foreign visitors to Tibet, including permits, can change at short notice, so consult your government’s travel advice and official sources. Lhasa lies at around 3,650 metres, and altitude sickness awareness and medical advice before travel are important. Nothing here replaces professional guidance.
What the Jokhang shows
The Jokhang demonstrates how an image can organise an entire pilgrimage landscape. A single statue, an old temple and a ring of streets have for centuries focused the hopes of people from a vast region. To understand its significance is not to resolve every historical question but to appreciate how devotion, memory and place reinforce each other.