Page 22 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Beijing

20 ❯❯ Top 10 Beijing Highlights

Lama Temple
(Yonghe Gong)

Beijing’s most spectacular place of worship is also the most
famous Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It has five main halls,
as well as some stunning statuary. The path through the Lama
Temple proceeds from south to north – from earth to heaven.

Hall of the
1
Heavenly
Kings
The first hall has a
plump laughing Buddha,
Milefo, back­to­back
with Wei Tuo, the
Guardian of Buddhist
Doctrine. They are
flanked by the Four
Heavenly Kings.
Hall of Eternal
2
Harmony
This, the second hall,
contains three manifes­
tations of Buddha (right)
representing the past,
present, and future. They
are flanked by 18 luohan
– those freed from the
cycle of rebirth.

Hall of Ten
Hall of the
4 6
Thousand
Wheel of
Dharma Happinesses
Hall four has a large The final pavilion
statue of Tsongkhapa, houses an 80­ft (25­m)
the 14th­century founder high Buddha carved
of the Yellow Hat sect of from a single piece of
Buddhism. Dominant sandalwood. There’s
in Tibetan politics for a splendid collection
centuries, the sect is of Tibetan Buddhist
led by the Dalai Lama objects in a room
and Panchen Lama. behind the hall.
Hall of Eternal
3 Monks Prayer Wheel
Protection
The third hall (below) 5 7
At one time there
Spinning a prayer
contains Buddhas of were 1,500 monks at wheel sends a prayer
longevity and medicine, the temple; now there written on coiled paper
plus two tangkas said to are only around 70. to heaven. A little yellow
have been embroidered Although of the same arrow taped to the frame
by Emperor Qianlong’s Yellow Hat sect as the of the wheel reminds
mother. Behind the hall Dalai Lama, the monks worshipers which
is a bronze sculpture are required to reject direction (clockwise)
of Mount Meru. Tibetan independence. to spin the wheel.
Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Three-column, 8.25pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1.5)
020-021_Top_10_Beijing.indd 20 25/07/2017 10:46
Date 12th May 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm