The Jokhang Temple and Monastery is the most sacred and
important Buddhist temple in Tibet. It was built during the
reign of King Songsten Gampo (605?-650 CE) to celebrate his
marriage to a Chinese princess who was a Buddhist.Today it forms
part of what UNESCO calls the 'Historic Ensemble of the Potala
Palace'. A walled enclosure in front of the Jokhang Temple is
planted with willows. The architectural style was inspired by
Buddhist monastaries (viharas) in India. The roof has two golden
deer gazing at a Wheel of Dharma. The Potala Palace stands
behind the Jokhang Temple.The site was a meditation retreat
until King Songtsen Gampo built a palace in 637. But the present
building was started by the Fifth Dalai Lama (Lozang Gyatso) in
1645. It takes its name from a hill in the southern tip of India
(Cape Comorin) which is sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion
(Avalokitesvara). The Potala was the residence of the Dalai Lama
until it became a museum after the 1959 uprising against the
Chinese.