Built in the 7th century the Jokhang Monastery was renovated and expanded several times and has formed a 4-storey large complex.

The Jokhang Monastery is the home of the most precious Buddha images in Tibet,which were brought there by Princess Wencheng (?-680)of the Tang Dynasty, who was married to the great Tibetan king Songstan Gampo. In the main hall of the monastery is a set of murals showing the arrival of the Tang princess in Tibet. There are four incense burners in front of the monastery. Behind the first two are two enclosures. The larger on harbors the stump of an ancient willow tree allegedly planted by Princess Wencheng and an inscribed stele.

In 822, the Tang imperial court and the Tubo Kingdom formed and alliance aimed at keeping friendship forever. This alliance was engraved in the Han and Tibetan languages on a stone tablet,which still stands in front of the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa.
UNESCO added the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa to the List of World Heritage as an extension of the Potala in December 2000.