As the religious activity center of both monks and followers of the Yellow Hat Sect (also named Gelugpa Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism), the Ta'er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery) is located in Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province, 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) away from the capital city of Qinghai Province - Xining.
In order to commemorate Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), founder of the Yellow Hat Sect, the Ta'er Monastery was built in 1577 more than 150 years after his death. Now the Ta'er Monastery is considered a sacred place in China.
In the Tibetan language, Ta'er Monastery is called 'gongben', which means '10,000 figures of Buddha'. During its long 400 years of history, it has gradually become a place of interest for its distinct ethnic color and native style. The whole area covers more than 144 thousand square meters (about 36 acres) with mountains surrounding it. It has 9,300 rooms and 52 halls. Just judging from these figures, you can imagine what a splendid place it is. The Ta'er Monastery is a group of fine buildings in a combination of both the Han and Tibetan styles of architecture on the mountain slopes. It has lofty temples and halls rising one upon another. The palace buildings, Buddhist halls, sleeping quarters, as well as the courtyards echo each other and thus enhance the beauty of the whole area.
Among so many buildings, the Great Hall of the Golden Roof and the Great Hall of Meditation are the main parts.
As the center core building, the Great Hall of the Golden Roof is in the middle of the monastery. Its colorful gates, which are different in length, are carved into various flower patterns and painted with multifarious fresh colors. The surfaces of the walls are covered with green ceramic tiles and embedded with countless pearls, agates, and gems, making the whole hall sparkle.
Inside the hall, there is a silver tower built to commemorate Tsong Khapa. This tower is also embedded with many kinds of jewels and wrapped with ten layers of pure white Hada (raw silk fabric presented to exalted guests to express purity, honesty and respect) to show its grandness. In front of the tower golden and silver lights and old flasks are displayed with more than 5,000 small golden figures of Buddha surrounding them, which enhance the stateliness of the Tsong Khapa's statue in the shrine. In the ark behind the hall, the treasures of the Yellow Hat Sect are stored. They are considered very precious relics of the Ta'er Monastery.
The Great Hall of Meditation is the authoritative institution for the religious organization of the monastery. It is the biggest structure and lies rightly in front of the Great Hall of the Golden Roof. Long and short pillars are carved with beautiful patterns and swathed with colorful felts on which there are embroideries and long narrow flags for decoration. Hanging from all four walls, there are lively and unique pictures of the story of Buddhism and religious life. A pure gold tower stands in the hall that contains the ashes of Tsong Khapa.
The Ta'er Monastery is rich in fascinating arts. The famous butter sculptures, the barbolas, and the murals are considered to be the three most unique arts of superb craftsmanship.
| Admission Fee: | CNY 80 |
| Recommended Time for a Visit: | Two hours |
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Travelers' Voices on Ta'er Monastery
1.
Nov. 16,2009 15:18 Reply
Mr.mavromatis(USA) said:
Qinghai is by far better than any province
2.
Nov. 16,2009 15:17 Reply
Mr.smith(USA) said:
amazing place
3.
Sep. 19,2009 00:40 Reply
Mr.Julian2(Australia) said:
Wow, Mr. Julian! For some strange reason you sound just like an advertisement rather than a real traveller...still, it does sound like a pretty cool place to go to...
4.
Feb. 23,2009 01:51 Reply
Mr.ROD(AMERICA) said:
I HAVE A150 YEAR OLD TIBETAN THANKAS FOR SALE
5.
Feb. 13,2009 04:45 Reply
Mr.Julian(Australia) said:
If you only have time to visit one of the attractions of Xining, this is probably the most rewarding. Kumbum Monastery (also known as Ta'er Si in China)is one of the largest active Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries outside the Chinese Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The Monastery complex dates back up to 450 years and now has four active colleges (Debating, Medicine, Tantric and Astrology) with about 400 red-robed monks of the Yellow Hat sect drawn from Qinghai and neighbouring provinces. The traditional decorated halls and libraries contain many Tibetan relics, texts, sculptures and thankas but Kumbum is especially known for the carved and painted yak butter sculptures, commemorating a dream, which are replaced during a festival on the evening of the first full moon of the Chinese New Year (February) - they are kept in a cooled glass chamber for that year. The Monastery is crowded with thousands of pilgrims and visitors at such festivals and it is an active place of worship year-round. If you have never visited an active Tibetan Monastery then this could be an entrancing introduction to this ancient religion. You may know of Sakyamuni's life and the core philosophy of Buddhism but understanding the texts, who the sculptures and thankas represent - and why they are venerated - is not easy for the outsider. However, the exotic imagery lit by flickering butter lamps, smoking incense, deep chanting punctuated by drums and bells resonating in dark halls, and the sincerity of the monks of all ages - for whom this is so evidently a way of life - will leave a deep impression. The adjacent small town has shops selling items(from Tibet and Nepal) related to Tibetan Buddhism, including sculptures, thankas, incense, singing bowls, etc. The monastery is about 27 km by highway, south of Xining city, and transport by bus or shared taxi (from roundabout below overpass southeast of Civic square) is frequent.