Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, Red Guards desecrated much of the interior
of the Jokhang and it is claimed that a section was utilised as a pigsty. Since 1980 the
Jokhang has been restored, and without the aid of an expert eye you will see few signs of
the misfortunes that have befallen the temple in recent years.
THE SACRED GOAT
When Princess Wencheng chose the site of the Jokhang, she chose Lake Wothang (per-
haps because she was still upset at having to live in barbarian Tibet). The lake was even-
tually filled in, but it is said that a well in the precincts of the Jokhang still draws its waters
from those of the old lake. Over the years, many legends have emerged around the task of
filling in Lake Wothang. The most prominent of these is the story of how the lake was
filled by a sacred white goat (the Tibetan word for goat, ra,is etymologically connected
with the original name for Lhasa - Rasa). Look for a small image of the goat peeking out
from the Chapel of Jampa on the south wall of the Jokhang's ground-floor inner sanctum.
Ground Floor
