Jokhang
Temple
 The Jokhang Temple, situated
is in the center of Lhasa, was built in 647 AD. It was built to commemorate
the marriage of the Tang princess Wen Cheng to King Songtsen Gampo. After
being renovated and expanded in the following years, it has become a grand
building complex. The temple occupies an area of 25,000 square meters,
with more than 20 palace halls. The four-storied golden roofed building
is in the Tang Dynasty style blended with Nepalese and Indian architectural
features. The main hall houses a gilded bronze statue of 12-year-old Sakyamuni,
which was brought by Princess Wen Cheng from Xian (capital of Tang Dynasty).
On both sides in the hall stand statues of Princess Wen Cheng and King
Songtsen Gampo.
Jiuhuashan
Mountain (Nine Lotus Mountain)
Jiuhuashan Mountain, situated in the southwestern part of Qingyang County,
Anhui Province is one of the four Buddhist Sacred Mountains. It is more
than 100 kilometers long, covering an area of 334 square kilometers. It
has many scenic spots including 99 peaks, 9 of which are well known. The
highest peak Shiwang Peak is 1,342 meters above sea level. Jiuhuashan
is also famous for its Buddhist cultural relics. There are now 78 existing
temples, more than 6,000 Buddhist statues, and over 300 monks and nuns.
Famous temples include Wannian Temple (Perpetuity Temple), Ganlu Monastery
(Sweet Dew Monastery) and Huacheng Monastery.
Norbu
Lingka
 Situated
in the west suburb of Lhasa, Norbu Lingka, meaning Jewel Park, used to
be the summer residence of the Dalai Lama. The Seventh Dalai Lama constructed
the first summer palace in 1755 and each successive Dalai Lama added his
own buildings. From the fourth month to the Ninth month of the Tibetan
year, Dalai Lama would move to this summer palace to handle administrative
affairs here.
The palace, with an area of 360 thousand square meters, consists of the
palace area and the wooded forest area, the latter occupying half the
space of Norbu Linka. The main buildings include the new Summer Palace,
the Old Summer Palace, the Kasang Temple and a zoo.
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