Religious site · TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION · UNESCO
Jokhang Temple
大昭寺 · Dàzhāo Sì
About
The most sacred Tibetan Buddhist temple, founded 7th century. The spiritual centre of Lhasa and Tibet, surrounded by the Barkhor pilgrim circuit.
The Jokhang Temple is the most sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism, built in 642 CE by King Songtsen Gampo to house the Jowo Rinpoche — a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha depicted at age twelve, said to have been brought to Tibet as part of the dowry of Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife Princess Wencheng. The Jowo Rinpoche is regarded as the most precious religious object in Tibet; for Tibetan Buddhists, to see it in person carries merit equivalent to visiting the historical Buddha. The statue has survived periods of desecration and was substantially damaged during the Cultural Revolution before being restored.
The temple occupies a site in the centre of Lhasa's old town that is simultaneously an active monastery, a major pilgrimage terminus, and a UNESCO World Heritage property (inscribed in 2000 as an extension of the Potala Palace). The building's architecture is a layered accumulation from the 7th century onward, incorporating Tibetan, Nepalese, Indian, and Tang Chinese elements — the result of repeated reconstruction and expansion over thirteen centuries. The upper roof terraces, with their gilded dharma wheels and deer figures visible from the Barkhor below, are among the most photographed architectural elements in Tibet.
The Barkhor — the one-kilometre clockwise pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang — is the practical centre of religious activity for visitors. Pilgrims from the plateau arrive continuously, many completing full-body prostrations around the circuit. Tourist access to the interior of the Jokhang is restricted to specific hours (typically 11:30am–5pm), while pilgrims may enter from early morning. The gap between the early-morning pilgrim activity and the tourist visiting hours means that time on the Barkhor at dawn gives a different experience from the interior visit later in the day — both are worth doing.
How to get there
Walking from central Lhasa hotels.
When to visit
Early morning to walk the Barkhor with pilgrims; later for tourist-section interior visit.
Gallery
Other attractions in Lhasa
Itineraries featuring this site
- Tibet — 8 days with permit guidance
8d · Lhasa, Yamdrok, Shigatse and Gyantse — the standard agency-tour Tibet circuit.
- Tibetan Plateau — Lhasa, Shigatse and Everest Base Camp, 10 days
10d · Ten days on the Tibetan Plateau visiting Lhasa's monasteries and palaces, the Tashilhunpo at Shigatse, and the Rongbuk Monastery approach to Everest Base Camp — with practical permit guidance.
- Overnight train romance — soft-sleeper journeys across China, 10 days
10d · Ten days structured around China's overnight soft-sleeper trains — Beijing to Xi'an, Xi'an to Chengdu, Chengdu to Lhasa — experiencing the transition from one landscape to the next at a human pace, through the night.
- Three weeks deep — adds Yunnan and Tibet
21d · Two weeks comprehensive plus Yunnan loop (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang) and a Tibet permit-tour to Lhasa.
Other religious sites in China
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda大雁塔
Tang-dynasty Buddhist pagoda, built 652 CE to house the sutras brought back by Xuanzang. 64m, seven storeys, climbable.
- Donglin Temple (East Forest Monastery)东林寺
One of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Chinese history, founded in 386 CE at the foot of Mount Lu and considered the birthplace of Pure Land Buddhism in China.
- Drepung Monastery哲蚌寺
UNESCO · Once the largest monastery in the world (10,000+ monks). 8 km west of Lhasa. Active Gelugpa monastery; debating courtyard sessions in the afternoon.
- Famen Temple法门寺
1,700-year-old Buddhist temple 110 km west of Xi'an. The 1987 discovery of a finger relic of the Buddha in its underground crypt was a major archaeological event.
- Ganden Monastery甘丹寺
The mother monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa atop Wangbur Mountain 47 km east of Lhasa, offering sweeping plateau views and an important kora trail.
- Gyantse Kumbum Stupa江孜白居寺
A nine-storey mandala stupa built in 1427 containing 108 chapels on multiple floors, considered one of the finest examples of Tibetan religious architecture and the most important landmark in Gyantse.
- Hanging Temple悬空寺
1,500-year-old wooden temple complex pinned to the side of a 75m cliff at Mt Heng. Engineered with horizontal posts driven into the rock face.
- Jade Buddha Temple玉佛寺
Active urban Buddhist temple in central Shanghai. Famous for two life-size jade Buddhas brought from Burma in 1882.
Other UNESCO World Heritage sites in China
- Ancient City of Ping Yao — Heritage Overview平遥古城—文化遗产综览
The walled city of Pingyao, inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, preserves the most complete example of Ming-Qing urban planning in China — its banking heritage, city wall, temples and courtyard residences forming a cohesive historical ensemble.
- Ancient Villages of Southern Anhui — Xidi and Hongcun皖南古村落—西递、宏村
UNESCO-listed pair of Ming-Qing Huizhou merchant villages in southern Anhui, renowned for whitewashed walls, inky horsehead gables and moon-shaped ponds.
- Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City良渚古城遗址
UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Hangzhou preserving the remains of a 5,000-year-old city with a sophisticated water-management system, jade ritual culture and social hierarchy — regarded as one of the earliest state-level societies in East Asia.
- Badain Jaran Desert — Lakes and Dunes巴丹吉林沙漠—沙山湖泊群
UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in Inner Mongolia — the third largest desert in China, featuring some of the world's tallest stationary dunes and a unique network of freshwater and saline lakes sustained by a still-unexplained subterranean water system.
- Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom高句丽王城、王陵及贵族墓葬
UNESCO-listed capital cities and royal tombs of the Koguryo Kingdom in Jian, Jilin — the Chinese portion of a transnational heritage property shared with North Korea, representing one of the most powerful states of ancient East Asia.
- China Danxia中国丹霞
UNESCO Natural World Heritage site — a serial property of six Danxia landscapes across six provinces, representing China's defining red-cliff-and-pillar sandstone landform type, including Danxia Mountain, Zhangye, Taining and Langshan.
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (UNESCO)苏州古典园林
UNESCO-listed collection of private gardens in Suzhou — four inscribed in 1997 and five more added in 2000 — representing the pinnacle of Chinese garden design through the refined integration of architecture, water, rock and plant.
- Couple's Retreat Garden耦园
UNESCO-listed Suzhou garden organised symmetrically around a central residence. Less crowded than the four most-visited gardens.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Jokhang Temple cost to visit?
- Adult entry to Jokhang Temple is ¥85, ¥0 for children.
- When is Jokhang Temple open?
- Jokhang Temple opening hours: Pilgrim entry from early morning; tourist entry typically 11:30am–5pm.
- How long do you need at Jokhang Temple?
- Allow 2–3 hours for Jokhang Temple. Add buffer time if you plan to visit at peak season or include nearby sights in the same trip.
- When is the best time to visit Jokhang Temple?
- Early morning to walk the Barkhor with pilgrims; later for tourist-section interior visit.
- How do you get to Jokhang Temple?
- Walking from central Lhasa hotels.
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