Fire engulfs Jokhang Temple, the “spiritual heart” of Lhasa, during Tibetan New Year

Cause and extent of the damage unknown

Footage surfaced on Chinese social media Saturday night of Jokhang Monastery, the foremost site of Tibetan Buddhist worship in Lhasa, engulfed in flames.

State media reported that the fire, which started at approximately 6:40 p.m., was quickly extinguished, with no casualties. Further details as to the origin and extent of the blaze have yet to be released. Chris Buckley, writing for the New York Times, suggested that it might have burned for “an hour or longer” based on the time of Saturday evening’s sunset in Lhasa and available video of the fire.

Renowned as the “spiritual heart” of Lhasa, Jokhang is the preeminent Tibetan pilgrimage destination, with a history dating back to the Tang Dynasty and a sublime aesthetic that garnered UNESCO world heritage recognition in 2000.

The precise locus of the fire within the temple complex remains unclear. Netizens speculated from the images circulating on social media that the blaze did not appear to have started in the temple’s main hall, which houses the site’s crown jewel, a statue of the Buddha considered by many to be Tibet’s most sacred.

The temple was reportedly closed to the public on Saturday, set to reopen Sunday as it prepared for a surge of worshippers and visitors celebrating the Tibetan New Year holiday, which began on Friday.