China Tibet,中国西藏,Jokhang Temple,大昭寺
The 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Tibet: the continuous waves of awestruck pilgrims prostrating themselves outside are a testament to its timeless allure. The central golden Buddha image here is the most revered in all of Tibet.
The Jokhang was originally built to house an image of Buddha brought to Tibet by King Songtsen Gampo's Nepalese wife. However, another image, the Jowo Sakyamuni, was later moved here by the king's other wife (the Chinese Princess Wencheng), and it is this image that gives the Jokhang both its name and its spiritual potency: Jokhang means 'chapel of the Jowo'.
The two-storeyed Jokhang is best visited in the morning, though the crowds of yak-butter-spooning pilgrims can be thick. Access is possible in the afternoon through a side entrance, but only the ground-floor chapels can be viewed (and then only through a grille) and there are no pilgrims.
大昭寺（Jokhang Temple），又名“祖拉康”、“觉康”（藏语意为佛殿），位于拉萨老城区中心，是一座藏传佛教寺院，是藏王松赞干布建造，拉萨之所以有“圣地”之誉，与这座佛像有关。寺庙最初称“惹萨”，后来惹萨又成为这座城市的名称，并演化成当下的“拉萨”。大昭寺建成后，经过元、明、清历朝屡加修改扩建，才形成了现今的规模。
大昭寺已有1300多年的历史，在藏传佛教中拥有至高无上的地位。大昭寺是西藏现存最辉煌的吐蕃时期的建筑，也是西藏最早的土木结构建筑，并且开创了藏式平川式的寺庙市局规式。环大昭寺内中心的释迦牟尼佛殿一圈称为“囊廓”，环大昭寺外墙一圈称为“八廓”，大昭寺外辐射出的街道叫“八廓街”即八角街。以大昭寺为中心，将布达拉宫、药王山、小昭寺包括进来的一大圈称为“林廓”。这从内到外的三个环型，便是藏民们行转经仪式的路线。
大昭寺融合了藏、唐、尼泊尔、印度的建筑风格，成为藏式宗教建筑的千古典范。寺前终日香火缭绕，信徒们虔诚的叩拜在门前的青石地板上留下了等身叩头的深深印痕。万盏酥油灯长明，留下了岁月和朝圣者的痕迹。
