Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), founder of the Gelukpa or Yellow Hat sect, robed in yel-
low and illuminated by a skylight.
The fifth hall, the
Wanfu Pavilion
(Wanfu Ge), houses a magnificent 18m-high
statue of the Maitreya Buddha in his Tibetan form, clothed in yellow satin and re-
putedly sculpted from a single block of sandalwood. Each of the Bodhisattva's toes
is the size of a pillow. The Wanfu Pavilion is linked by an overhead walkway to the
Yansui Pavilion (Yansui Ge), which encloses a huge lotus flower that revolves to re-
veal an effigy of the longevity Buddha.
Don't miss the collection of bronze Tibetan Buddhist statues within the
Jietai Lou
, a small side hall. Also peruse the collection of Tibetan Buddhist ornaments within
the
Banchan Lou
, another side hall, where an array of
dorje
(Tibetan sceptres),
mandalas and Tantric figures are displayed along with an impressive selection of ce-
remonial robes in silk and satin.
9am-4.30pm;
Yonghegong Lama Temple
CONFUCIUS TEMPLE & IMPERIAL COLLEGE
Kong Miao; 13 Guozijian Jie; admission ¥20, audio guide ¥30;
8.30am-5.30pm; Yonghegong Lama Temple)
An incense stick's toss away
from the Lama Temple is the desiccated Confucius Temple, which had a pre-
Olympics spruce up that failed to shift its indelible sense of otherworldly de-
tachment.
Lumpy and ossified ancient cypresses claw stiffly at the sky, while at the
rear a 'stone' forest of 190 stelae (upright slabs etched with figures or inscrip-
tions) records the 13 Confucian classics in 630,000 Chinese characters.
Next to the Confucius Temple, but within the same grounds, is the
Imperial
College
( Guozijian), where the emperor expounded the Confucian classics to
an audience of thousands of kneeling students, professors and court officials -
an annual rite.
Confucian
