Lama Temple

Lama Temple, or Yanghegong, was originally built in 1694 and used as the official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty. It was converted to the royal court of Prince Yongzheng, a son of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. Before he ascended the throne, during the 33rd year (1693) of Kangxi's reign of the Qing dynasty, it was remamed Yonghegong. After the prince came to the throne in 1723, half of the residence was used as an imperial palace and the other half was converted to a lamasery, a monastery for Mongolian and Buddhist Monks as it remains today. Lama Temple is now a typical Tibetan Monastery. Having been closed for many years during the Cultural Revolution, it was refurbished and reopened in 1980. It was incredible to see people actually worshiping and praying in person. I find other religions fascinating! This was one experience I will never forget!

Wanfuge (Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses) absolutely blew me away! It is the last formal palace to be visited in the Lama Temple. This is the highest palace because it is three stories high. Inside this pavilion there are tens of thousands of Buddhas displayed along every level, and in the centre there is an enormous statue of Maitreya positioned on a white marble base. It was built between 1748 and 1750 A.D. The statue (eighteen metres above ground and eight metres below ground) was carved from a single trunk of white sandal wood. In August 1990 A.D. this Buddha was in the Guinness Book of records. Unfortunately, since this is a practicing temple of worship, we were not allowed to take pictures inside because it’s disrespectful.