Sacred Tibetan Jokhang temple catches fire

BEIJING: A fire broke out at one of the most sacred sites for Tibetan Buddhism, Lhasa’s revered Jokhang temple, state media said, but no casualties were reported and the extent of the damage remained unclear.

Xinhua news agency said the fire began at 6.40pm local time on Saturday but was soon put out at Unesco World Heritage Site, which has more than 1,300 years of history and lies at the heart of old Lhasa.

“The fire was quickly extinguished, there were no casualties and order is normal in the area,” said the state- run Tibet Daily, adding that Tibet’s top Communist party official Wu Yingjie had rushed to the scene.

Images posted on social media of the blaze showed the eaved roof of a section of the building lit with roaring yellow flames and emitting a haze of smoke.

The blaze comes as Tibetans across the country are celebrating Losar, the traditional Tibetan New Year that began Friday, the same day as the Chinese lunar new year.

The temple, an important pilgrimage site, had been closed to the public on Saturday, Xinhua reported, citing a schedule from local authorities from before the holiday began.

Jokhang houses one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most venerated icons – the Jowo Shakyamuni, a statue believed to be one of just three crafted during the Buddha’s actual lifetime, depicting him at age 12.

It is also home to numerous other priceless cultural artefacts, including over 3,000 images of Buddhas, deities and historical figures as well as treasures and manuscripts, according to Unesco.