Fire damages Tibetan temple in old Lhasa on Saturday.
The Jokhang Buddhist temple in Tibet was damaged by a fire that broke out Saturday evening at 1840 hrs. The 7th Century Tibetan building, which sprawls over 2.5 hectares, is protected by law and is listed for its “outstanding universal value” by the United Nations cultural protection agency, UNESCO. It is also a most important Tibetan pilgrimage site.
Dramatic video footage posted on social media showed flames devouring part of the seventh-century building.
London-based Tibetan expert Robert Barnett said: “The Jokhang is widely regarded as the most sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism, with thousands of pilgrims travelling across the plateau for centuries to reach there and still doing so today, when allowed to.”
A UNESCO report in 2016 stated the temple was in a good state of conservation but noted fire was a “high disaster risk” and prevention measures were in place.
Further information is being slowly released by government sources.
Guardian Report; Fire Engulfs Jokhang Temple
Image for illustration purposes. Picture from Pixabay.
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Asia Pacific Fire, Editor
