Kirsty Needham is China Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
The most important Tibetan pilgrimage site, the Jokhang Temple in old Lhasa, was ablaze on Saturday night but few details have been released by the Chinese government about the extent of the damage. 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.
London-based Tibetan expert Robert Barnett told Fairfax Media: "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."
The Dharma Wheel on the Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet
"It was the earliest Buddhist temple to be built in Tibet and is seen by many Tibetans as the symbolic heart of the country and of its cultural heritage."
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.
After multiple videos of the large fire in Lhasa's old town, in which Tibetans can be heard gasping and crying, spread on social media on Saturday night, Chinese state media confirmed there had been "a partial fire in the Jokhang Temple. The fire was quickly extinguished and no casualties reported".
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