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Ramoche Monastery

Written by Ivana Dai Updated Jul. 7, 2021

Ramoche Monastery is located about 500 meters north of Barkhor Street and one kilometer from Jokhang Temple. It was established in 641 in the middle period of 7 century AD for laying a foundation of the Princess Wencheng. The Ramoche Monastery covers an area of 4,000 square meters and mainly enshrines and worships the Life-size Sakyamuni (the founder of Buddhism) 8 years old.

Ramoche Monastery combines the features of the Han and Tibetan building styles. In the early period, the temple was managed by the Han monks. Ramoche Monastery is not only one of the earliest temples in Tibet, but also the symbol of unity and friendship between Han and Tibet and plays an important role in history. In the temple, the statues of different Buddhas add a more sacred atmosphere to the surroundings.

What to See

Layout of the Buildings

The reputation is not as famous and the scale is not as large as the Jokhang Temple, but it is a tranquil temple with different features compared with the Jokhang Temple. In history, the Ramoche Monastery has caught on fire several times. The Ramoche Monastery preserved now was mostly rebuilt after the fire. Only the sacred hall on the ground floor is the building of the early period.

In the hall, there are ten pillars on which visitors can found the Tibetan style. Lotuses are carved on the pillars with other flowers and grass and the auspicious clouds. The main building of the Ramche Monastery can be separated into three parts containing gate and courtyard, scripture hall and the buddha-hall with the circumambulation road around. On the top of the building, it is covered with the golden tiles.

Collection of Cultural Relics

There are a large number of cultural relics exhibited in the Ramoche Monastery. It mainly enshrines and worships the Sakyamuni’s life-size-like statue of his eight years old and a lot of Buddha statues and Thangkas. Other precious relics are a copper Buddha, wearing coronet, jade and pearl necklace, silks and sitting on the square platform with his legs crossed.

The copper statue of Padmasambhava wears a kasaya (a patchwork outer vestment worn by a Buddhist monk) and holds musical instruments used by Buddha in his hands. And a copper statue of a Chinese ancient beautiful woman wearing short clothes and a long dress, holding a vase in her hands and wrapping it around silks.

Legend

There is a history story of the Buddha statue in the temple. In the Tubo period, after Srongtsen Gampo united Tibet, he married with Princess Wencheng and Nepal princess Chizun. He built the Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Monastery. Jokhang Temple is to enshrine and worship the life-size like statue of the eight-year-old Sakyamuni introduced into Tubo by Princess Chizun and Ramoche Monastery is to enshrine and worship the Jue’e Buddha statue introduced by Princess Wencheng.

It is said that the Jue’e Buddha was robbed by the army of Tang Dynasty. So the Sakyamuni statue was removed into the Mingjian Gate (明鉴门) of Jokhang Temple from the Ramoche Monastery in 652. In 712, Tang and Tubo made connections through sending Princess Jincheng to marry Tubo. The Jue’e Buddha Statue was welcome to be removed back to Jokhang Temple.

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