YONGHE TEMPLE Tour Part 2

Not far from the Hall of Harmony and Peace, you can spot the Hall of Everlasting Protection, the residence of Prince Yong in his youth, and the place where his coffin was displayed when he died.

Just after this palace, you’ll come to the Hall of the Wheel of the Law, where to this day the monks read the Scriptures and perform Buddhist ceremonies.

This magnificent construction, also called the Falundian, was the main building of the Imperial Palace during the reign of Yongzheng. Before this pavilion became part of the temple after the emperor’s death, his consorts used to live here. As you can see, the architectural structure combines the styles of both nationalities, Tibetan and Chinese. The upper part has five small pavilions in keeping with the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, symbolizing the sacred mountains in the Wufeng region.

New press pause and enter the temple.

The large statue you see is of Tsong Kha-pa, an early teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, where sacrificial offerings were brought.

Behind this statue is a group of sculptures depicting 500 Arhats, the disciples of Buddha, sculpted in gold, silver, copper, iron and tin, and shown in different poses. Opposite, you can see the wooden basin that was used to wash the body of Emperor Qianlong, the son of Yong, three days after he was born. Take a moment to admire the elegant, large frescos on the walls, illustrating the life of Siddharta, the first Buddha.

Once you come out, you can visit the three-storey Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses, the tallest palace within the temple. Inside are tens of thousands of statues of Buddha, and in the center is a huge statue of the Buddhist deity Maitreya, measuring 26 meters, eight of them underground, carved from a single sandalwood trunk and placed on a white marble base.

An interesting fact: on both sides of the bronze statue of Tsong kha-pa, there are two wooden lecterns that were used by the Dalai Lama in 1954 to preach in the temple.