Xiarihu Temple

　　Xiarihu Temple is the only Gelug sect monastery in the Gande region. It is located at the mouth of Longmuqie Valley on the western bank of the Yellow River in Ganglong Township, Gande County, 70 kilometers from the county seat. The temple was first established in 1804 by Geshe Gler Sangpo of Jecang, making it 203 years old to date and the earliest monastery built within Gande County. The temple features a solemn architectural style, with a seamless blend of Tibetan and Han Chinese artistic elements. It houses a wealth of historical relics, cultural artifacts, murals, and carved artworks. In 1998, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural heritage site. Major relics include: letters from the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Ninth Panchen Lama, the “Thousand-Year Buddha,” sculptures cast in gold, silver, copper, iron, and wood, hundreds of carved divine statues, thangka murals, the hoof prints and arrows of Gesar, hand-carved inscriptions, tea kettles from Duozhi, Dari, Mazhi, Ebu, and Zanmuxiu, Caijiangmai, Kongba, Toujieqingbaojike, Toujieyouga’e, prayer wheels, Dongba, and Sai Zhi thangkas.