Tibet is a landlocked country that covers the Tibetan plateau. Tibetan plateau is in China. The world’s highest mountain is Mount Everest and it is located in Tibet. You will find the influence of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam in Tibet. There are many tourist spots influenced by these religions especially Buddhism. There are many beautiful tourist spots of Buddha in the form of statues, paintings, and Mandalas. Nepal Tibet Bhutan tour will give you a great insight into religion and culture along with adventure.
Jokhang Temple
Jokhang temple is a Buddhist temple. It is located in Lhasa. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet. This temple is considered as one of the holiest places for the Tibetans. They give a lot of importance to it. The entire maintenance of this temple is looked after by Gelug School. It is possible to enter the temple for people of every community. All the worshippers are allowed to enter the temple.
The architecture of the temple
The architecture of the temple is influenced by three types of designs. Those three designs are Indian Bihar design, Tibetan design, and Nepalese design. Indian Vihara design was used to design the places for or pleasure and entertainment. It was used for designing the places where there was a need to have mental peace. It was particularly designed for monks. Nepalese design is characterized by Buddhism and Hinduism both.
The reason for the establishment
There is an interesting story about the establishment of the temple. It was established for the two brides of the king Songsten Gampo. The names of those two brides are Princess Wencheng and Princess Bhrikuti. Princess Wencheng was from the Chinese tang dynasty. Princess Bhrikuti was from Nepal. It is said that they brought some very important Buddha statues from their respective countries to Tibet. These statues and images were brought as dowries. So it was because of the Buddha statues and images which were brought by these two brides, this temple was established and today we have it as a great tourist spot which inspires us and gives lots of peace of mind.
Multiple times renovation
It was in 652 when the first or the oldest part of the temple was built. There were many times when the temple was renovated by different rulers. It took place for more than 900 years, there were several times when there was enlargement or renovation done in the temple. The last renovation was done in the year 1610 by the fifth Dalai Lama.
UNESCO site
The Jokhang Temple that you would visit on your Nepal Bhutan Tibet tour packages is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was declared the World Heritage site in the year 2000. It was an extension of the Potala Palace. Potala Palace is already a World Heritage site and it was declared in the year 1994. There have been many artists from Nepal also who have given their imprints as designs to this Temple.