Yong He Gong (Lama Temple)

The Lama Temple was originally built in 1694 as the the private residence of Prince Yong. It was turned into a monastery after its owner became Emperor in 1723. It soon became a center of Lamaist religion and art. This temple is the most elaborately restored sacred building in Beijing. It belongs to the Yellow Hat sect, whose spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama. It has five halls and three gates laid out in a north-south axis. The design is symetrical. In each successive hall, the central Buddha is more imposing. In front of each hall, are incense burners. The burners are outside the hall as incense is not permitted to be burned inside the buildings. Also no picture taking is allowed inside the buildings so unfortunately I was unable to get any good images of the Buddhas. In the Pavilion of Ten Tousand Happinesses the Buddha is 23 meters high carved from a single piece of sandalwood. To see the head of the Buddha, you need to stand very close and rock back on your heels. Today about 70 monks live at the monastery. As you walk around the complex, you see many worshippers offering incense to the Buddhas and bowing in reverence. They are simple gestures which seem profound in their actions. In the pictures, you can see that the season has definitely changed from autumn to winter.