A Typology of the Lhasa House

 Vernacular Buildings
 Government Buildings
 Religious Edifices

The typical layout (similar to that of a large noble hose) consists of a main temple building surrounded by outbuildings. The latter would traditionally serve as accommodation for monks (in present-day Lhasa, much of this has been converted into public housing). The main temple could be up to four stories in height, with religious symbols and decorations prominently affixed to the roof.

Gonpa example: Merunyingba Monastery floorplan by Carmen Tsui / CUHK/THF (KA23_M_L1)

This usually consists of a single building, without courtyard. There would have been only a handful of caretaker monks at the most. Instead of an inner courtyard an open space in front of the building would be used for religious ceremonies. This type of building could vary in height, humble one floor up to three storeys, and the ground shape could be simple and square, or in the form of a mandala.

Usually a couple of caretaker monks reside in a side room of a Mani Lhakhang, which is otherwise a room filled with a central huge prayerwheel and small altar. Pilgrims would enter and turn the prayerwheel, which is filled with numerous written and printed holy scriptures.

I Mani Lhakhang/ Prayerwheelhouse, section drawing by THF / Jian-Jun and Huang Xiao-Lin (KA53_M_WES). Section through the Lhasa Barkor Mani Lhakhang, showing the big prayerwheel and the adjacent room of the caretaker monk.

In Lhasa, Labrangs functioned as representative office of the respective monastery.

The Lhaden Tsuglakhang (Jokhang) combines all of the above, i.e. temple, monastery, labrang and shrine.

Groundplan, West elevation