The Treasury of Lives

Tibet Heritage Fund

Tsepak Lhakhang, located near the Ramoche temple, is said to have been founded by Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century. This popularly held belief is unsupported by historical documentation; the complex was likely built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, as it maintains archaic architectural details uncommon in later buildings. As such, it is one of the older functioning temples of Lhasa. 

It is a two-story stone building that was partially turned into housing in 1966 and has undergone periods of restoration beginning in the 1980s. Tsepak Lhakhang was originally dedicated to the recitation of long-life prayers and is maintained by the monks of Shide Dratsang. Following the destruction of Shide Dratsang, the monks have moved to this small temple. It remains an active monastic community.

Sources

Alexander, André. 2005. The Temples of Lhasa: Tibetan Buddhist architecture from the 7th to the 21st centuries. Chicago: Serindia Publications, pp. 143-149.



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