|
 Located
midway along Octagonal
Street, Jokhang Temple
(the name means
“assembly place” in
Tibetan) is where lamas
gather to lecture on
Lamaist doctrines in the
first month of the lunar
calendar each year. With
its round golden roof
and two golden goats
holding glittering
wheels at the top of the
main gate, the
four-story hall is a
magnificent sight.
Jokhang Temple was built
over 1,300 years ago.
Legend has it that soon
after King Songtsan
Gampo and Princess Wen
Cheng were married, they
joined others to select
the site and design the
monastery. As a symbol
of the cultural exchange
between the Tibetan and
the Han, it was built
jointly by Tibetan
workers and the artisans
brought along by
Princess Wen Cheng from
inland China.
The overall
architectural style of
the monastery imitates
Tang architecture,
especially in the style
and arrangement of
columns and crossbeams,
upturned eaves, and
corbel brackets.
However, it also
contains architectural
characteristics of Nepal
and India. For example,
in the inland temples,
statues of Buddhas are
usually placed on high
platforms, where
workshippers cannot see
them unless they raise
their heads. The
platforms here are
rather low, however,
making it easy for
worshippers to touch the
statues of Buddha and
ask for blessing. |
