Namu Temple

Namu Temple

Namu Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Namu Temple, known in Tibetan as Namu Si, is said to be the Fairy Temple of Paoma Mountain. Located 2.5 kilometers south of Kangding City, it is one of the famous temples in the Kham region. Together with the neighboring Vajra Temple, it is hailed as the “Twin Temples in the Cloudy Forest” and is one of the historic scenic spots of Kangding. In the 11th century, during the Northern Song Dynasty, it was originally built on what is now Paoma Mountain as a Nyingma sect temple. It was destroyed in warfare during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and was later rebuilt at a site called “Zhujuegang.” In the 16th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1677 AD), the Fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso, presented statues and thangkas of Tsongkhapa, Mahakala, and Palden Lhamo. It was then named “Gaden Druptilin” as a branch temple of the Langjia Zhacang of the Potala Palace. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty inscribed and bestowed a plaque naming it “Namu Temple.”

Covering an area of 2,524 square meters with a built-up area of 3,851 square meters, Namu Temple is a wooden and stone structure in the form of a traditional Chinese courtyard. The main hall has three stories above ground and one below, standing about 20 meters high, with splendid golden decorations inside, flanked by side halls. The temple architecture features a double-eave hip-and-gable roof style with carved arches and flying eaves. The pavilions and halls are adorned with traditional Tibetan paintings, making the complex majestic and spectacular. It is one of the main venues for the August 4th Mountain Circumambulation Festival. Namu Temple has produced many eminent monks, including three Khenpos and fourteen Geshes. The Eighth Panchen Lama gifted his monastic robe to the temple. The temple enjoys ceaseless incense offerings throughout the year, attracting a constant stream of worshippers and tourists, with numerous international visitors and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao coming here for sightseeing each year.