Gegentala Temple

Gegentala Temple

Gegentala Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Gegentala Temple is located on the railway line from Baicheng City in Jilin Province to Arxan City in the Xing'an League, approximately 30 kilometers southeast of Ulanhot City on the left bank of the Tao'er River. The temple site lies at the foot of the southern slope of the Taolaotu Mountain, facing the southeast direction. With a long history in the eastern region of Inner Mongolia, Gegentala Temple is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist monastery supported by ten banners in the east. Its architecture is majestic and spectacular, featuring Tibetan-style design, and the temple is endowed with abundant assets.

The predecessor of Gegentala Temple was Lianhuatu Temple. In the 13th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1748), Emperor Qianlong bestowed the name "Fantong Temple" upon Lianhuatu Temple. In the first year of the Jiaqing reign (1796), funded by the nobles of the ten banners of the Jirem League, construction began on Fantong Temple, Hongji Temple, and Guangjue Temple for Gegentala Temple. On July 12 of the third year of the Jiaqing reign (1798), the four main halls were officially completed, followed by the construction of Huitong Temple. At that time, the entire temple primarily consisted of five major halls, along with seven additional halls including the Gegentu Palace, 0 Palace, and Gegentala Mausoleum, housing a total of 5,073 gilded copper Buddha statues, 35 stone Buddha statues, 500 clay Buddha statues, and 1,868 volumes of the Kangyur and Tengyur scriptures. The scale was grand and the presence imposing. Since its establishment, there have been seven generations of Gegentu, with a peak of 1,200 lamas and over 240 temple serfs, making it the largest lamasery in Northeast China. In 1928, the Panchen Lama from Tibet visited to preach scriptures. The temple was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

The current Gegentala Temple was rebuilt in July 1988 following the national and local implementation of religious policies. Upon entering the temple from the front gate, a white Ten-Wheel Vajra Tower stands on both sides of the path. This is the site where the 1,868 volumes of the Kangyur and Tengyur were burned during the Cultural Revolution. The tower was built to prevent people and livestock from walking over the place where the scriptures were burned. The rebuilt Gegentala Temple now has four main halls. The easternmost one is called Gongde Renyuan Temple, which houses the Three Buddhas and the relics of the seventh Gegentu, with murals of the Eight Great Disciples of Shakyamuni and guardian Vajras painted on both walls. Gongde Renyuan Temple is where lamas recite scriptures and study during the winter. To the west of Gongde Renyuan Temple is Xianmi Jujing Temple, the venue for major religious ceremonies. At its center is a statue of Shakyamuni, flanked by Amitabha Buddha and the Medicine Buddha, as well as guardian Vajras such as the Ten-Wheel Vajra and Horse-Head Vajra. Adjacent to Xianmi Jujing Temple is the main hall of Gegentala Temple, Fantong Temple, named after the original main hall of the old Gegentala Temple. It is divided into inner and outer sections: the inner section houses the Three Buddhas and Buddha statues and shrines previously venerated by the old monks, while the outer section displays the 108-volume Kangyur scriptures brought from Tibet's Tashilhunpo Monastery in 1991, along with portraits of the 11th Panchen Lama, Bodhisattva Wenshu, Mahayana Vajra, Eleven-Faced Vajra, and many other gilded copper Buddha statues. Red felt is laid out in front of the statues, where lamas study national religious policies and chant scriptures. The central yellow seat is reserved for the Gegentu. The westernmost of the four main halls is Puti Jidu Temple, also known as the God of Wealth Hall. It was built with donations from lay followers and mainly enshrines the Yellow Jambhala of Esoteric Buddhism, as well as statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Amitabha Buddha, and the Laughing Buddha.

Behind the four main halls, on the mountainside, there are several stupas. The westernmost one was built to commemorate the visit of the Panchen Lama from Tibet in 1928 to preach scriptures. It is said that the location of this stupa is where the Panchen Lama gave his teachings. The three white stupas on the mountainside commemorate Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school, and his two disciples. It is said that one disciple, Gendun Druppa (1391–1474), was later recognized by the Gelug school as the First Dalai Lama and is believed to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. The other disciple, Khedrup Je, was later recognized as the First Panchen Lama and is believed to be an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. At the foot of the mountain, there are four stupas dedicated to the local mountain deity, the temple guardian deity, the Dharma Protector King, and Padmasambhava. Behind Gegentala Temple, there are four large white protruding rocks, believed to be the hoof prints of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian hero. Touching them is said to bring success and prosperity.