Princess Bhrikuti had brought along a gilded icon of the Buddha as a part of her dower and was accompanied by artisans and craftsmen with a royal mandate to build a suitable temple to house the icon. Until then there were no temple of any sort for the Tibetans practiced Bon which required no permanent structure, they worshipped primarily to ward off evil spirits, out in the open.

In due course of time, an exquisitely crafted building imitating Nepalese architecture was erected at Jorkhang, Lhasa which still stands there today. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama this temple at Jorkhang is the holiest of all the shrines in Tibet.

King Srong-tsen was a successful monarch and peace prevailed in his realm and his two queens lived in apparent harmony for Princess Weng Chen was so impressed by the Nepalese craftsmen and artisans, she persuaded her father to invite them to China and build temples there.

Thus with the gospel of Four Noble Truths travelled the Nepalese architecture from Nepal to China and thence to the rest of the world, which we know today as the Pagoda Form of Architecture.

Photo of Jorkhang Temple: Courtesy Wikipedia.