Lama Cave Temple

Lama Cave Temple

Highlights: The temple complex consists of a front temple and a rear temple. The front temple has four sections: a three-room Heavenly King Hall enshrining the Four Heavenly Kings; a 49-room scripture hall, two stories high with seven bays; and a 25-room main hall dedicated to Maitreya Buddha, in front of which hangs a golden plaque inscribed with the characters “Guanghua Temple” in Mongolian, Chinese, Manchu, and Tibetan. The second hall is the Joyful Buddha Hall, with eight-cornered towers to the east and west enshrining the Eighteen Arhats and Guanyin Bodhisattva. There is also a 7-room Hall of the King of Hell. All the Buddha statues in the halls are made of brass, crafted with exquisite skill and lifelike detail. The rear temple is built on the mountainside, with caves carved into the mountain and a three-story structure called the “Pada Cave,” housing the largest seated Buddha statue in the entire temple complex. A stone staircase of 124 steps leads up to the cave. In the northwest part of the temple grounds are several stone stupas that house the remains of former abbots. Most of the halls have been destroyed, leaving only the 124-step staircase, the Buddha’s Mansion, and stone-carved Buddha statues. The Lama Cave Temple is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and north, with the spacious Dongou Valley to the south, offering bright light and open views. Introduction: Lama Cave Temple is one of the birthplaces of Tibetan Buddhism in the Tumote region. It is located in the Daqing Mountains, 7 kilometers north of Baita. Constructed in the early years of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1573–1575), it was expanded in the 15th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1658). In the 48th year of the Qianlong reign (1783), it was bestowed the imperial name “Guanghua Temple.” Ticket/Opening Hours: 15 RMB

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia