If you are looking forward to a religious traditional holiday either alone or with your family here are top top 5 Must see Temple round Xining that you can visit.
1. Beichan Temple a national AA tourist attraction
Photo Credit: Wai Lit’s China record
The Beichan Temple, located at 38 West of Qilian Road, Xining, is a national AA tourist attraction. The temple is also known as Tulou Taoist Temple, Beishan Temple and Yongxing Temple.
Covering an area of one square kilometer, it serves as a joint religious venue for Buddhists, Taoists and Confucians.
Construction of the temple started more than 1,900 years ago in AD.10B.
Perched on a mountain, the temple has above it sheer rocks and below it a deep valley. Caves of various sizes dot the face of a red cliff.
Corridors and mountain trails link the caves to the halls and pavilions in the temple. The Beichan Temple is the second best known hanging temple in China. They can match those in the
Photo Credit: Tony and Yunyun posted in flickr
Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, which contain some of the finest works of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years.
A magnificent 30-meter-high Buddha statue stands against the mountain in the east of the temple. Buddhists call it “Inner Buddha,” while Taoists call it the incarnation of Xiwangmu, or
Queen Mother of the West, a Taoist goddess. At the top of the mountain, there is a tower named Ningshou. The temple is dirnly visible when the mountain is enveloped in clouds on rainy
days, presenting a breathtaking view that is known as “Clouds over the North Mountain.”
Transport: The BeichanTemple is 4-5 kilometers from the city center. One can get there by taxi.
Photo Credit: Wai Lit’s China record
Photo Credit: Tian Yake
2. Baifo Temple a monastery of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism
Photo Credit: Marco Braun
The Baifo Temple is located at the foot of Tongbao Mountain on the northern shore of Qinghai Lake, 29 kilometers from the county seat of Haiyan. It is a monastery of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. During the reign of Emperor Wangli of the Ming Dynasty from 1563 to 1620, Tibetan Buddhist master Choni Gyatso preached Gelug teachings at this temple. As he was granted the title of the “White Buddha,” the temple became known as the Baifo Temple, meaning Temple of the White Buddha.
The Baifo Temple consists of a big prayer hall, a small prayer hall and the residence of the White Buddha. The eight neatly arranged white pagodas are particularly eye catching. The temple houses a complete version of Kangyur, part of the Tibetan Tripitaka. Its treasures also include a pair of gold-coated bronze lions and an elephant of the same material. The 10th Panchen Lama preached twice at the temple, making it a renowned Tibetan Buddhist sanctuary in Qinghai.
3. Qutan Temple a key historical site under national protection
Qutan Temple Roof – Photo Credit: Sarafoto
The Quantan Temple is situated in the Maquan Gully in Luohan Mountain, Qutan Town of Ledu County, over 80 kilometers from downtown Xining. It is a key historical site under national protection. With an area of about 35,000 square meters, the magnificent temple of Tibetan Buddhism features an architectural style popular in the Han Dynasty. Rulers of the Ming Dynasty promoted Tibetan Buddhism in order to strengthen its governance of Tibet. Under such a political curcumstance, Sanluo Lama built the temple in 1392, the 25th year under the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398), the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
In the next year, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang named the temple Qutan after the Buddhist monk Shakyamoni. The unique Han architectural style of the temple not only sets it apart from other Buddhism temples around, but also gave inspiration to builders of many Han style temples of Tibetan Buddhism in Beijing and Chengde during the Qing Dynasty.
Transport: Take a bus from Xining to Lanzhouin Gansu Province, and get off at Nianbo Town of Ledu County. The distance is about 90 kilometers.
Photo Credit: Sihongtong
4. Wutun Temple “Four Temples of Longwu,”
Sengeshong Monastery – Photo Credit: Gustavo Thomas
Wutun Xia Temple – Photo Credit: Jason Chao
The temple in Wutun Village in Tongren County comprises two sections, the upper temple and lower temple, one kilometer apart. It is one of the four Buddhist temples in the area which are collectively known as the “Four Temples of Longwu,” the other three temples are the Duhu Temple, Guomari Temple and Wuke Temple.
The Wutun Temple has the largest collection of masterpieces of the “Regong Art.” The murals, applique embroidery, colored paintings and sculptures the temple retains all are great artistic works.
Transport:Take a long-distance bus from Xining to Tongren.
Photo Credit: Yves ANDRE
Upper Wutun Monastery – Photo Credit: Gustavo Thomas
Arou Grand Temple
Arou Grand Temple
Located in eastern Jialong, 21 kilometers east of the county seat of Oilian, the temple is also known as Alike Grand Temple. It is the largest and most influential temple of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in the Oilian Mountains. The temple consists of the Law-Defense Hall, Babaoruyi Tower and Great Prayer Hall, etc. The most famous building in the temple is a yak woolwoven tent used for scripture-chanting, the largest of its kind in the world. The tent occupies a total area of 1,189 square meters, with 300 square meters of indoor floor space. It is set up with 16 ropes, 34 post rods at the top and 78 post rods at the bottom, as well as a horizontal beam.
Transport:Takea long-distance bus from Xining to QilianCounty. The trip takes about 5-6 hours.
Pagodas at Arou Grand Temple
Youning Temple “blessing stability”
The Youning Temple is located at the southern foot of Longwang Mountain, 35 kilometers from the county seat of Huzhu. Built in the 32nd year (1604) under the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, the temple was originally named Guolong. It reached its prime under the reign of Em peror Kangxi (1661-1722) of the Qing Dynasty, when it was honored as “Mother of All Temples in Huangbei.” In 1732, Emperor Yongzheng bestowed the temple its present name, “Youning,” which literally means “blessing stability.”
The temple used to have 22 living Buddha, among whom Zhangjia, Tuguan and Songbu were three renowned living Buddha of the Tibetan Buddhism. The temple is recognized as a sacred Buddhism research center. Major Buddhism rituals are held four times a year, in the 1st, 4th, 6th and 8th month according to the lunar calendar, when the temple is packed with disciples and visitors.
Transport: Take a bus from Xining to the temple, or take a bus from Ping’anto Wushi-xiang, and then transfer from Wushixiang to the destination.
Photo Credit: mario_ruckh
Green Tara – Tibetan Buddhist wall a painting at Youning temple – Photo Credit: mario_ruckh
Shatuo Temple a monastery of the Nyingma Sect of Tibetan Buddhism
Shatuo Temple – Photo Credit: Roy
The Shatuo Temple is located on the northern shore of Qinghai Lake, 46 kilome ters from Gangca Town, Haibei Prefecture. It was built in 1665 as a monastery of the Nyingma Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its main buildings include a 300-square-meter prayer hall, 18 rooms on both sides, and monks’ dormitories. The temple features an exquisite architectural style with painted pillars and beams in an elegant setting.
The Shatuo Temple was built for holding lake-worshipping ceremonies. In 1653 in the Qing Dynasty, the Fifth Dalai Lama Losang Gyatso presided over a lake worshipping ceremony in the temple on his way back from Beijing where he received an official title from the emperor. The temple has since become a holy place for Tibetan Buddhists.
Guomari Kalachakra Buddhist Pagoda
Guomari temple – Photo Credit: Dirk Borchers
The pagoda is situated on the square in front of the Guomari Temple in Guomari Village. Built in January 1994, it occupies an area of 1,156 square meters and is 30 meters tall, the tallest of its kind in Qinghai Province. The pagoda is a unique piece of architecture in Regong.
Transport:Take a long-distancebus from Xining to Tongren.
