Travel in China
Beijing's most magnificent Tibetan Buddhist temple - incense-filled halls, an 18-metre sandalwood Buddha, and living Lamaist tradition in the heart of the old city.
The Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple) began in 1694 as the residence of Prince Yong, who would become the Yongzheng Emperor. When he took the throne in 1723, the compound was elevated to imperial status; in 1744 his son Qianlong converted it into a Tibetan Buddhist lamasery, making it the national centre of Gelug-school Buddhism outside Tibet.
The axis unfolds south to north through five main halls. The Hall of the Heavenly Kings introduces the laughing Maitreya and four fierce guardians; the Hall of Eternal Harmony holds three gilded bronze Buddhas; and the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses crowns the complex with its centrepiece - a Maitreya Buddha carved from a single block of white sandalwood, 18 metres above ground.
Today the temple draws a steady tide of worshippers and visitors - locals burning fist-sized coils of incense, Tibetans circling prayer wheels, and tourists watching it all. The side halls hold a bronze Mountain of 500 Arhats and a gallery of Tibetan Buddhist art.
Highlights
The 18-Metre Sandalwood Buddha
A Maitreya Buddha carved from a single 26-metre sandalwood trunk - the tallest of its kind on Earth.
Hall of Eternal Harmony
Three gilded bronze Buddhas - past, present and future - flanked by eighteen arhats.
The 500 Arhats Mountain
A red-sandalwood mountain carved with some 500 arhats cast in five metals, the Guanyin of 500 Arhats in the Hall of Dharma Wheel.
Incense Courtyard
The vast front courtyard where hundreds of devotees simultaneously light bundles of incense.
Imperial Architecture
Yellow-glazed tiles and vermilion walls of an imperial prince's palace - normally reserved for the emperor.
Prayer Wheels and Tangka Gallery
Tibetan prayer wheels and thangka paintings in the side halls.
Photo Gallery
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