Da Zhao Si is located in the center of Lhasa's old city, it is one of the most important sacred sites of Tibetan Buddhism. Its golden top and crimson light illuminate the millennium splendor of Barkhor Street. Inside, the 12-year-old life-sized statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, with its gilded body shimmering in the flickering of butter lamps, pilgrims approach with a devout gesture of touching their foreheads to the ground, circling three times, the sound of spinning prayer wheels and chanting intertwine into an eternal prayer. The main hall of the temple features a depiction of the “Pure Land of Bliss” painting, in which the Padmasambhava【founder of Tibetan Buddhism】holds a vajra, together with the image of Princess Wencun【Princess of the Tang Dynasty】witnessing the fusion of Tibetan and Han cultures. The Barkhor spinning path winds like a scripture, with tens of thousands of pilgrims walking along it daily, the prayer wheels are engraved with auspicious words, Mani piles rise up with the blessings of the ages. Da Zhao Si was built in the 7th century, built by Songzan Gampo to welcome Princess Wencun, later expanded by successive Dalais, the fifth Dalai Awang Rotsang Jiaqiu【leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism】once presided over the reconstruction of the golden top. The “Gandharva” scroll treasured in the temple, and the Tangka, are scroll paintings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas drawn with mineral pigments, telling the story of a thousand-year faith. This is not only a sacred site, but also the spiritual totem of the Tibetan people, every brick and tile is engraved with reverence for the Buddha, every recitation of mantras echoes the light of faith in the plateau.
