The Lama Temple

Travel to Beijing to day and visit one of the many historical sites in the city. Lama temple also known as the palace of peace and harmony is both a temple and a school of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeast of Beijing. This temple is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist temples in the world. Fly with air China and see the beautiful work of artistry in the Lama temple.

Lama temple is also referred to as the YongHeGong temple. The construction of the temple originally started in the Qing Dynasty in 1694. Initially, it was used as an official residence for court eunuchs, and then the emperor’s son converted it into the court of Prince YongZheng. After the death of the YongZheng, half of the temple was changed into a lamasery while the other half remained an imperial palace. YongZheng’s casket was placed in the temple for those who wanted to mourn his death. Emperor QianLong, successor to YongZheng, transformed the yellow tiles in the temple into blue, giving the building and imperial look. The temple has now become a national centre of Lama administration.

There are five main halls separated by courtyards in the lama temple: the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tian Wang Dian Hall), the Hall of Harmony and Peace (YongHeGong), the Hall of Everlasting protection (YongYouDian), the Hall of Wheel of the Law (FalunDian) and the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happiness (WanFuGe). The first courtyard in YongHeGong is tilted Gate of Peace Declaration. Following this gate is another titled Gate of Peace. Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan are inscribed in Chinese on the pavilion stand in the temple to mark the history of the temple.

The Hall of the Heavenly Kings was previously the main entrance of the building. There are two pagoda’s located on each side of the statue of the Maitreya Buddha. Small Buddhist images are placed next to each pagoda symbolizing longevity. The Hall of Harmony and Peace represents the main building of YongHeGong. Three bronze statues of Buddha’s are located inside the hall. A statue of the Gautama Buddha is at the center with the statue of Kasyapa on the right and the statue of Maltreya on the left.

The Hall of Everlasting protection was emperor YongZheng’s living quarter; his coffin is currently buried in this location. The Hall of wheel of the Law consists of five pagodas that serve as a place for reading scriptures and conducting religious ceremonies. It also has the statue of Tsong Khapa founder of the Geluk school of Buddhism, on a lotus. The hall has statues of arhats made out of gold, silver, copper, iron and tin.

The pavilion of ten thousand happiness contains the statue of the Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of white sandalwood. The statue is one of three artworks in the temple that were included in the Guinness book of record.

If you would like to see this historical temple, travel to Beijing today. You can also see other historical locations in China like the Forbidden City, the Temple of heaven, Tiananmen Square and many more.