Ramoche Temple

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Ramoche Temple (Tibetan: ར་མོ་ཆེ་དགོན་པ་; Wylie: Ra-mo-che Dgon-pa) is a Buddhist monastery situated in the northwest of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, covering a total area of 4000 square meters (one acre). This temple is one of the key cultural relic protection sites of the Tibet Autonomous Region as well as a popular attraction in Lhasa.

The original building complex has a strong Tang architecture influence, for it was first built by Han Chinese architects in the middle of the 7th century (during the Tang Dynasty). Han Princess Wencheng took charge of this project and ordered the temple be erected facing east to show her homesickness.

Gate of the Ramoche Temple

Erroneously referred to as Little Jokhang it stands in the northern older part of the holy city and originally housed Wen Cheng's statue of Sakyamuni, now the Holy of Holies of Jokhang Monastery. In the 8th century an exchange was made and a Nepalese Chizun princess's small bronze statue of Sakyamuni aged eight was enshrined at Ramoche instead, brought by the Wencheng Princess from the capital Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. As one of the precious cultural relics of Tibet, the statue is now placed in Jokhang Temple (Da Zhao Si), 500 meters (0.31mile) south of Ramoche Monastery.

The prayer wheels of Ramoche Temple

The temple was gutted and partially destroyed in the 1960s and the bronze statue disappeared. Years later it was found and is now housed in the Ramoche Temple which was restored in the 1986.

Following the large restoration of 1986, the main building in the temple now has three stories. The first story includes an atrium, a scripture hall, and a Buddha palace with winding corridors. The third story was the bedroom once reserved for Dalai Lama. Upon entering the main building, one can see the ten pillars holding some of the remaining Tibetan relics such as the encased lotus flowers, coiling cloud, jewelry, and particular Tibetan Characters. The golden peak of the temple with the Han-style upturned eave can be seen from any direction in Lhasa city. Needless to say, the temple is a wonderful example of the combination of Han and Tibetan architectural styles.

Nowadays, the temple has become the very place for the Tibetan monks to study the Mi Zong (one of the sects of Buddhism).