Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Street: Complete Lhasa Guide

The stone slabs in front of Jokhang Temple have been worn into deep grooves — not by weather, but by thirteen centuries of pilgrims pressing their bodies against the ground. Every morning, dozens of Tibetan devotees perform full-body prostrations at the entrance, some having traveled months on foot from Kham or Amdo to reach this spot. Built in 647 AD, the Jokhang is the one temple that every school of Tibetan Buddhism recognizes as the holiest place on earth, and Barkhor Street — the thousand-year-old circuit encircling it — is not a tourist walkway but a living pilgrimage path.

What Is Jokhang Temple?

The Jokhang's story begins with a political marriage. In 641 AD, the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo married Tang dynasty Princess Wencheng (文成公主) and Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti. Wencheng brought a life-size bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha at age twelve — the Jowo Rinpoche (觉沃仁波切) — from Chang'an. Bhrikuti brought an eight-year-old likeness from Kathmandu. To house these statues, Songtsen Gampo built the Jokhang in 647 AD.

The Jowo Rinpoche still sits at the center of the main prayer hall — it has survived 1,300 years of wars, dynastic collapses, and political upheaval without ever leaving this building. It is the single most venerated object in all of Tibetan Buddhism. Every school — Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya — regards the Jokhang as the supreme pilgrimage destination. In a religion marked by sectarian differences, this is the one point of consensus.

Three concentric pilgrimage circuits (kora) revolve around the Jokhang:

• Nangkhor (inner kora): the corridor inside the temple, circling the Jowo statue
• Barkhor (middle kora): the roughly 1,000-meter street encircling the temple exterior — the subject of the second half of this guide
• Lingkhor (outer kora): a larger loop extending from the Jokhang to Potala Palace and back, about 8 km total

UNESCO inscribed the Jokhang as a World Heritage Site in 2000, as an extension of the Potala Palace listing.

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Tibet Permit & Ticket Booking

Tibet Travel Permit

Foreign visitors need a Tibet Travel Permit (TTB Permit) to enter any part of Tibet, including Lhasa. You cannot apply independently — the permit must be arranged through a licensed travel agency, and the process takes 15–20 working days. For the full application walkthrough, required documents, and current restrictions, see the Potala Palace guide's permit section.

Tickets

Prices may have been adjusted — confirm via the WeChat mini-program before your visit. Book in advance through the mini-program. Bring your original passport for the security check at the entrance.

Opening Hours

Important: The morning session (before ~11:30) is primarily reserved for Tibetan Buddhist devotees. Tourist entry typically begins around 11:30–12:00. If you arrive at 8:00–8:30, you can walk the Barkhor kora first and watch the prostrations, then enter the temple when it opens to tourists around midday.

Getting There

The Jokhang sits at the center of Lhasa's Old Town, with Barkhor Street wrapping around it.

Walking from Potala Palace

Potala Palace to the Jokhang is about 1.5 km — a 20-minute walk. Head east along Beijing East Road (北京东路), then follow signs into the Old Town to reach Barkhor Street. This is the best approach — you will pass through Lhasa's traditional lanes and get a feel for the old city. Be aware that 3,650 meters of altitude makes walking harder than expected.

Taxi

From Potala Palace or most Lhasa hotels, a taxi takes 5–10 minutes and costs ¥10–15. Cars cannot drive directly to the temple entrance (Barkhor Street is pedestrian-only), so you will be dropped at the nearest road and walk 3–5 minutes in.

Bus

Routes 6, 8, and 22 stop at Cuomeilin (措美林), a 5-minute walk from the Barkhor entrance. Lhasa buses have no English announcements — a taxi is easier for most foreign visitors.

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Inside the Sacred Halls

Once inside, follow the clockwise direction — counterclockwise is the Bon tradition and does not apply here.

Entrance and Courtyard

The plaza in front of the main gate is where pilgrims perform full-body prostrations. Some have traveled from Ganzi in Sichuan or Yushu in Qinghai, prostrating their way across hundreds of kilometers — a journey that can take months. Before you enter the queue, spend a few minutes watching: the rhythm of the prostrations, the wear marks on their hand boards, the calluses on their foreheads. This is not a performance. It happens every single day.

Past the entrance gate is an open courtyard lined with prayer wheels and walls of small Buddha niches.

The Jowo Rinpoche

At the center of the main prayer hall sits the Jowo Rinpoche — the life-size gilded bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha at age twelve. Standing about 1.5 meters tall, tradition holds it was cast during the Buddha's lifetime by his disciples as a true likeness. Whatever the historical truth, this statue has been here since the 7th century.

Devotees queue to touch the base of the statue and the offering table. When your turn comes, you may pause briefly. The hall is dim, lit mainly by butter lamps. Photography is strictly prohibited inside.

Butter Lamp Halls

Several halls house rows of butter lamps — the largest contains thousands. The thick, warm scent of yak butter fills the air and stays on your clothes. Pilgrims bring their own butter to refuel the lamps. You can purchase a small lamp (a few yuan) to light as an offering.

Murals

The Jokhang preserves extensive murals, the most famous being "Princess Wencheng Entering Tibet" — a visual narrative of Wencheng's journey from Chang'an to Lhasa. The murals line the inner kora corridor. Colors have dimmed over a thousand years, but the storytelling remains vivid. Look for the Tang dynasty costumes and Tibetan cavalry.

The Golden Roof

Most visitors miss this. From a stairway inside the main hall, climb to the second-floor rooftop terrace for a close look at the Jokhang's gilded bronze roof — the dharma wheel flanked by two deer is the temple's most recognizable symbol. More importantly, this is one of the best vantage points for photographing Barkhor Street below and Potala Palace in the distance. The rooftop allows photography (unlike the prayer halls). Afternoon light is best.

The stairway is not well marked — ask a staff member for "rooftop" or point upward.

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Walking the Barkhor Kora

Barkhor Street is more than a marketplace — it is the middle pilgrimage circuit introduced above. From dawn to late evening, pilgrims and locals walk this route clockwise, spinning prayer wheels and chanting mantras.

How to Walk It

Enter Barkhor Street and walk clockwise (with the temple on your right). Walking counterclockwise will put you against the flow of every other person on the street — it is awkward, and locals will politely or firmly redirect you. The street is fully pedestrianized, no vehicles. One full loop takes about 15–20 minutes at a normal pace. Do not rush — walking slowly and watching is the right speed.

The Most Powerful Moments

• Morning 7:00–9:00 — the densest concentration of pilgrims. The plaza in front of the Jokhang has the most prostrators, and the kora circuit is filled with silent, deliberate walkers. This is Barkhor Street at its quietest and most intense.
• Evening 17:00–19:00 — a second wave as Lhasa residents finish work and join the kora. The atmosphere shifts — lighter, more social, like a community evening walk.
• After dark — tourists thin out, lamplight washes the stone pavement and whitewashed walls, and Barkhor Street returns to the locals.

History Written in Stone

At several points along the route — especially in front of the temple entrance — the stone paving has been worn into visible depressions. These are not natural erosion. They are the body prints left by centuries of pilgrims prostrating at fixed positions, some grooves more than two centimeters deep.

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Barkhor Street Life

Barkhor Street is not only a pilgrimage route — it is Lhasa's most vibrant neighborhood. Shops, teahouses, restaurants, and homes line both sides of the kora, blending Tibetan, Nepalese, and Indian goods and culture.

Makye Ame

On the southeast corner of Barkhor Street stands a yellow building — Makye Ame (玛吉阿米). Legend has it that the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (仓央嘉措), Tibet's most celebrated romantic poet, secretly met his lover here. It is now a Tibetan restaurant. The food is decent, but the real draw is the second-floor window seat — the most classic angle for photographing Barkhor Street's curve below.

Guangming Sweet Teahouse

Lhasa's most famous teahouse, tucked into a lane north of Barkhor Street. A cup of sweet tea costs ¥1 — place coins on your table and the server comes to pour. Tibetan noodles run ¥5–8. The teahouse is packed with locals — monks, vendors, retirees, students — and the language barrier does not matter. Sit with a cup and watch. This is the most authentic window into everyday Lhasa.

Shopping

Barkhor's shops specialize in religious items and Tibetan handicrafts:

• Thangka (scroll paintings) — hand-painted thangkas range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of yuan. Distinguish hand-painted from printed by checking brushstroke detail and the reverse side of the canvas.
• Turquoise and dzi beads (天珠) — traditional Tibetan jewelry. Fakes are common; avoid paying high prices unless you can verify authenticity.
• Prayer wheels — small handheld ones make practical souvenirs.
• Wooden butter tea bowls — various materials and sizes, lightweight and useful.
• Nepalese and Indian goods — wool scarves, spices, brassware — reflecting Lhasa's history as a South Asian trade crossroads.

Bargaining is standard. Opening prices are typically 2–3 times the actual value. Start at half and work from there.

Street Food

• Butter tea (酥油茶) — salty, buttery milk tea. Lhasa's daily staple. Many visitors need a few cups to adjust to the taste.
• Sweet tea (甜茶) — milky tea, the more approachable version.
• Tibetan noodles (藏面) — alkaline noodles in yak bone broth, small portions, best as a snack.
• Dried yak meat (牦牛肉干) — sold at street stalls and shops. Quality varies; taste before buying.

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Altitude, Dress & Etiquette

Altitude

At 3,650 meters, most visitors from lower elevations will experience some altitude symptoms — headache, shortness of breath, insomnia, loss of appetite. On your first day in Lhasa, stay near your hotel, walk slowly, avoid stairs, and keep showers brief. The staircase inside the Jokhang (especially climbing to the golden roof) will raise your heart rate noticeably.

Altitude medication: Rhodiola rosea (红景天, start one week before arrival), Gaoyuanan (高原安, take after arriving in Lhasa), and painkillers (backup). If you experience severe symptoms — vomiting, confusion, blue lips — seek medical attention immediately. See the Potala Palace guide for detailed altitude preparation.

Dress

• Cover shoulders and knees — required for temple entry and respectful toward worshippers.
• Lhasa's sun is intense — UV radiation is 2–3 times stronger than at sea level. Hat and sunscreen are essential.
• Wear non-slip shoes — temple floors can be slippery from butter residue.

Etiquette

• Do not step on thresholds — step over the threshold of every doorway entering a hall.
• Do not point at statues — pointing a finger at a Buddha image is considered disrespectful.
• Security check — bring your original passport. Lighters and liquids are usually not permitted.
• Keep quiet — in areas where pilgrims are prostrating, speak softly and do not laugh loudly.
• See "Inside the Sacred Halls" and "Walking the Barkhor Kora" above for clockwise walking and photography rules.

Other Lhasa Sites to Pair With

The Jokhang is usually Day 2 in a Lhasa itinerary (Day 1 is for altitude acclimatization). Common pairings:

• Potala Palace — 20-minute walk or 5-minute taxi. Requires a separate ticket (¥200 peak / ¥100 off-peak) and advance booking. See our Potala Palace guide. Plan one for the morning and one for the afternoon — or split across two days.
• Sera Monastery (色拉寺) — about 5 km from the Jokhang. The famous debating session starts daily at 15:00 (except Sundays) — monks debate Buddhist philosophy with theatrical clapping and stomping. Well worth seeing. 📍 (Google | Amap)
• Drepung Monastery (哲蚌寺) — 10 km from Lhasa. Tibet's largest monastery. During the Shoton Festival (August), an enormous thangka is unfurled on the hillside. 📍 (Google | Amap)
• Norbulingka (罗布林卡) — the Dalai Lama's summer palace. Garden-style complex, good for a relaxed afternoon between heavier temple visits. 📍 (Google | Amap)

Suggested pacing: Day 1 rest and acclimatize → Day 2 Barkhor kora (morning) + Jokhang Temple (from ~12:00) → Day 3 Potala Palace → Day 4 Norbulingka (morning) + Sera Monastery debate (15:00).

Beyond This Guide

Lhasa is just the start — between the permit logistics, altitude planning, and the monastery circuit beyond the city, there is a lot to coordinate. If you want a day-by-day Lhasa plan designed around your schedule and comfort level, we can put one together for you.

More in Lhasa:

• Potala Palace: Complete Visitor's Guide — the Dalai Lama's winter palace, built 1,300 years ago on a hillside above the city
• Lhasa Travel Guide — full city hub