Lhasa - Tibet - page 99

In the Chapel of Jampa (4) are statues of Jampa as well as four smaller bodhisattvas:
Jampelyang (Manjushri), Chenresig (to the left), Chana Dorje (Vajrapani) and Drölma
(Tara). Öpagme (Amitabha) and Tsongkhapa are also present here, as are two chörtens,
one of which holds the remains of the original sculptor.
The image of Tsongkhapa in the Chapel of Tsongkhapa (5) was commissioned by the
subject himself and is said to be a precise resemblance. It is the central image on top of the
steps of the wooden alcove.
The Chapel of the Buddha of Infinite Light (6) is the second of the chapels consec-
rated to Öpagme (Amitabha), the Buddha of Infinite Light. The outer entrance, with its
wonderful carved doors, is protected by two fierce deities, red Tamdrin (Hayagriva; right)
and blue Chana Dorje (Vajrapani; left). There are also statues of the eight bodhisattvas.
Pilgrims generally pray here for the elimination of impediments to viewing the most sac-
red image of the Jokhang, that of Jowo Sakyamuni, which awaits in the next chapel.
To the right as you leave the chapel are statues of King Songtsen Gampo with his two
wives, and of Guru Rinpoche (at the back).
The most important shrine in Tibet, the Chapel of Jowo Sakyamuni (7) houses the im-
age of Sakyamuni Buddha at the age of 12 years, brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng.
You enter via an anteroom containing the Four Guardian Kings, smiling on the left and
frowning to the right. Inside are statues of the protectors Miyowa (Achala) and Chana Dor-
je (Vajrapani, blue). Several large bells hang from the anteroom's Newari-style roof. The
carved doorway has been rubbed smooth by generations of pilgrims.
The 1.5m statue of Sakyamuni is embedded with precious stones, covered in silks and
jewellery, and surrounded by silver pillars with dragon motifs. The silver canopy above
was financed by a Mongolian khan. Pilgrims touch their forehead to the statue's left leg or
are blessed with some brocade before being tapped on the back by a monk 'bouncer' when
it's time to move on.
To the rear of Sakyamuni are statues of the seventh and 13th Dalai Lamas (with a mous-
tache), Tsongkhapa and 12 standing bodhisattvas. Look for the 7th-century pillars on the
way out.
The Jampa (Maitreya, or Future Buddha) enshrined in the Chapel of Jampa (8) is a
replica of a statue that came to Tibet as a part of the dowry of Princess Bhrikuti, King
Songtsen Gampo's Nepali wife. Around the statue are eight images of Drölma, a goddess
seen as an embodiment of the enlightened mind of buddhahood and who protects against