ess was ruined. Some eminent monks and devout nobles hid the statue of twelve-year-old Sakyamuni into a small hall of the Jokhang Monastery. They blocked off the door of the small hall, smoothed it down with mud, and drew mural paintings on the outside. After Princess Jin Cheng married the 36th king of Tubo Tsampo Tshide Zudan, Buddhism culture became popular again. Upon learning where the statue of twelve-year-old Sakyamuni was hidden, Princess Jin Cheng had the statue moved out and enshrined in the Jokhang Monastery.  

Of the three Buddha statues, the one of eight-year-old Sakyamuni was damaged in turmoil, the one of 30-year-old Sakyamuni sank in Southern Indian Ocean during a war in India, and the statue of twelve-year-old Sakyamuni was the only one left in the world. So its value is beyond imagination.

The largest renovation project for the Jokhang Monastery was completed in the early 15th century under the supervision of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. The monastery was extended to cover 25,000 square meters with five gilt roofs and 108 halls. After the completion of the project, Tsongkhapa dedicated a pure-gold five-dhyani Buddha brown to the statue of twelve-year-old Sakyamuni, and held the first Grand Summons Ceremony of the Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect).

Now, the Jokhang Monastery is a major tourist attraction for visitors from home and abroad. As a local saying in Lhasa goes, "You can not say you have ever been to Tibet if you have not been to the Jokhang Monastery." The greatest wish of Tibetan Buddhism followers from various parts of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Gansu provinces was to worship the statue of Sakyamuni in the Jokhang Monastery. In Tibet, devout pilgrims could be seen here, there and everywhere. These pilgrims prostrated themselves and finally could touch the bluestone floor in front of the Jokhang Monastery. When they worshiped on bended knees in front of the Sakyamuni statue, all the bitterness they suffered was worthy and rewarding.  

Mecca is the center of the Islamic world, with Macbeth Hall at the core. Likewise, the Jokhang Monastery is the center of the Tibetan Buddhism world. There were three paths for turning prayer wheels in Lhasa. The first one was the covered way around the principal nave of the Jokhang Monastery. It was called "Langkhor" in Tibetan, surrounded by a circle of bronze prayer wheels. Pilgrims chanted scriptures and turned their prayer wheels while walking on Langkhor. The second path encircled the whole Jokhang Monastery, named "Barkhor" in Tibetan.