The Jokhang Temple is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The temple's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, Tibetan, and Nepalese design.

The Jokhang was founded during the reign of King Songtsan Gampo. According to tradition, the temple was built for the two brides of the king, Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Both wives are said to have brought important Buddhist statues and images as part of their dowries, and they were housed here.

The Jakhong temple is spread over an area of 2.51 hectares (6.2 acres). Initially, when built in the 7th century, it had only eight chambers in two floors to house scriptures and sculptures of Buddhas. The structural features consisted of brick lined floors, columns and door frames and carvings made of wood. It was only after 1409 that during the reign of the Ming dynasty that there were many improvements made to the Jokhang. The second and third floors of the Buddha Hall as well as the annex buildings were constructed during the 11th century. The most dominant hall is now the Buddha Hall which has four floors.

The temple has an east-west orientation, its main gate to the monastery faces west and features of the Jokhang are aligned along an axis starting with an arch gate, Buddha Hall, enclosed passage, cloister, atriums and hostel for the Lamas(monks). Inside the entrance there are four "Guardian Kings" (Chokyong), two on either side. The main shrine is located on the ground floor. On the first floor there are murals and residential accommodation for the monks, and a private room. There are also residential buildings for the monks and chapels on all four sides of the shrine. The building materiels used for construction are wood and stone. The architecture of the temple incorporates the Tibetan Buddhist style, with some architectural styles of Han, Indian vihara design, and Nepal. The roof is covered with gildedbronze tiles, figurines and decorated pavilions.

The central part of the Buddha Hall is high with a large paved court. A porch leads to an open courtyard which is in the form of two concentric circles with two temples, one in the outer circle and another in the inner circle. The outer circle also has a circumambulation path along which there are a number of large prayer wheels arranged serially; this path leads to the main shrine which is surrounded by chapels. Of all the murals that once adorned the temple only one mural remains which depicts the arrival of Princess Wencheng with the image of Buddha, which was followed by the building of the Jokhang. The image which was brought by the Nepalese wife of the king, which was initially kept at Ramoche, had been moved to Jokhang and kept in the middle of the back side of the inner temple. This Buddha remained on a platform since the 8th century though there were many occasions when it was moved to other locations for safe keeping. The image is set amidst the images of the king and his two consorts, and has been gilded several times. The image in the main hall on the ground floor is of gilded bronze statue of Jowo Sakyamuni which is 1.5 metres in height. The image is decorated with a crown, and has a cover around its shoulder, a diamond adorns its forehead. It is attired with pearl studded garment. The image of Buddha is seen in a cross legged lotus posture seated on a three tiered lotus throne and with the left hand resting on his lap and the right hand touching the earth. Many chapels surround the Jowo Sakayamuni Buddha; many of the chapels are dedicated to several gods and bodhisatvas. The most important bodhisatva here is the Avalokiteshwara, the patron saint of Tibet, in the form of 1,000 eyes and 1,000 arms. Flanking the main hall are the halls for Amitabha (Buddha of the Past), and Qamba (Buddha of the Future). Incarnations of Sakyamuni are enshrined on either side of the central axis. The warrior guard of Buddha is seen in the middle of the halls on the left side.

Apart from the main hall and its contiguous halls, on both sides of the Buddha Hall there are dozens of chapel rooms, each of 20 square metres size. Among these rooms, the chapel of the Prince of Dharma is on the third floor. The halls are surrounded by passages in the form of enclosed spaces which are used for circumambulation by the pilgrims.

Decorations of winged apsaras, figurines of animals and human beings, flowers and grasses are carved on the structural features of the superstructure. There are also images of sphinxes with different expressions, which are carved below the roof.

The temple complex has more than 3,000 images of Buddha and other deities and historical figures, apart from some treasures and manuscripts. The walls of the temple are decorated with mural paintings related to religious and historical themes.

On the rooftop and on the ridges there are iconic statues of golden deer flanking a Dharma wheel, victory flags, and "monster fish". The temple's interior is a dark and atmospheric labyrinth of chapels, illuminated by votive candles and filled with the smoke of incense. Although some part of the temple has been rebuilt, original elements remain: the wooden beams and rafters have been shown by carbon dating to be original; the Newari door frames, columns and finials date from the 7th and 8th centuries brought from the Kathmandu valley in Nepal.

Apart from circumambulation and spinning of prayer wheels, pilgrims fully prostrate before approaching the main deity. They are even seen crawling on their knees and belly approaching the main shrine over a long distance. The hymn that is recited during this worship is "Om mani padme hum" meaning "hail to the jewel in the lotus." Pilgrims queue up on both sides of the platform and offer ceremonial scarf or hadas around the neck and duly touch Buddha's knee.

A walled enclosure in front of the Jokhang, near the "Tang Dynasty -Tubo Peace Alliance Tablet", contains the stumps of willows known as the "Tang Dynstay Willow" or the "Princess Willow". It is said to have been planted by Princess Wencheng.