During the initial stages of his mission in Japan, the Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was welcomed by the Shingon monks since he used Dainichi, the Japanese name for Vairocana, to designate the Christian God.
The village has a small temple, Zugne Lhakhang, with a statue of Vairocana and the temple is said to have been established by the great Tibetan Emperor Songsten Gampo in the 7th century.
It is first found in Chinese texts, related to Chinese Tantric Buddhism, which was centred on the Buddha Vairocana and propagated by the three great masters Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra.
The most important Nyorai of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon (apart from the historical Buddha, Shaka Nyorai) are Amida Nyorai (Amitābha), Dainichi (or Birushanabutsu) Nyorai (Vairocana), and Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru).
Like the great Bodhisattva Manjushri and Vairocana who lived for the welfare of all sentient beings, the highly accomplished master Namgyal Lhundup went to Lhasa and to vow before Jowo statue and started one billion recitations of Phagpa Zangpo Chodpai Monlam for the welfare of all sentient beings.