Ta'er Monastery

I highly recommend Ta'er Monastery. I spent half a day visiting it and was completely shocked by the devout people, exquisite architecture, and many stories and profound culture.



Taking photos is not allowed inside the temple. If there are many people, it is best to ask a tour guide to explain. If there are few people, you can listen to other tour guides’ introductions nearby.



About taking a ride: When we went there in the morning, we bought the tour group tickets on Alizhu. We were cheated. The tour group's car dropped people off at a parking lot far away from the scenic spot. We were forced to take the electric car to the scenic spot for 20 yuan per person. You can share a car from the city to Ta'er Temple for 15-20 yuan per person, and charter a car for only 60 yuan.

Not bad, it's better to hire a guide, we are not religious, we may just take a quick look. I heard from passers-by that there are some very young lamas. It's okay to take pictures of the scenery in the temple, but it's best not to take selfies, as if ordinary people can't handle these. In the temple, I saw many pilgrims like those in the movie "Gambo Tsering", kneeling and walking. Very pious.

Ta'er Monastery, also known as Taer Temple, was founded in the 10th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It was named after the large silver pagoda built in the Dajinwa Temple to commemorate Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. It is called "Gunbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, which means "Maitreya Temple with 100,000 Lion Roaring Buddha Statues". It is located in Rushar Town, Huangzhong County, 25 kilometers southwest of Xining City, Qinghai Province. Ta'er Monastery was first built with a pagoda and then with a temple, hence the name Ta'er Monastery.

Ta'er Monastery is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest China and is well-known in China and Southeast Asia. The central government of each dynasty has highly respected the religious status of Ta'er Monastery. Butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery are known as the "three unique arts of Ta'er Monastery". In addition, the temple also houses many Buddhist scriptures and academic monographs on history, literature, philosophy, medicine, legislation and other fields.

Ticket price: 80 yuan/person; recommended visiting time: half a day (if you really listen carefully to each introduction, one day may not be enough).

The road leading to the Ta'er Monastery scenic area is very narrow, so we waited in line for dozens of minutes before we got to the scenic area parking lot. So during the peak season, you might as well park your car a little further away and walk to the scenic area, which may save a lot of time.

It is best to hire a tour guide. We did not find a tour guide and wandered around by ourselves. We did not know much about the history and taboos of the temple. Photography is not allowed in the temple.

In the temple, you can see some devout people kneeling and worshipping one after another. There is only a thin blanket on the ground, and some are bare. Just watching them, you can feel their extremely devout hearts. There are also some lamas practicing in the temple, wearing red clothes. Their dormitories can be seen in some halls. Some are boiling water, and some are chanting in the halls. Time seems to be non-existent for them.

The butter sculptures of Ta'er Temple are well-known overseas and are a world intangible cultural heritage. The sculptures are colorful and very vivid, but taking photos is not allowed.

There were not many people in the Ta'er Temple in the early morning. It was drizzling. A group of pigeons surrounded an old lady on the clean stone street. She scattered food for the pigeons while spinning the Buddhist beads in her hand. When she looked up and saw someone taking pictures, she smiled at me kindly.

The temples here are different from those I have seen in the eastern region. The single-room temples are small in size, but there are so many of them that they have become a temple complex. The Buddha statue in the center of the temple is for people to worship, and the skulls of animals are placed around the second floor. The wisps of incense wafting from the altar comfort the hearts of the visitors.

I didn't know much about the Ta'er Monastery in advance, and I didn't know I had to hire a guide. I just wandered around and listened to the guides when I saw them. After listening, I felt that the guides of the Ta'er Monastery were quite real. If conditions permit, you can still hire a guide to enrich your knowledge. This is also the meaning of tourism~ However, we listened very seriously at that time, but we basically forgot the history of the Ta'er Monastery. Instead, we were more impressed by the devout Tibetans and the Bodhi tree. The long kowtow is done on the floor in front of each Buddhist temple. The floor has been polished to reflect light. When listening, I learned that this kind of floor is made of hardwood, but it needs to be replaced every three to five years, which shows how pious they are. I vaguely remember discussing the issue of faith with my classmates one night in my junior year until very late. Now I still don't understand what faith is, and I am a little envious of these devout Buddhists. I stayed in the temple for a morning, and the two people who impressed me the most were the two people. One of them was a woman with long hair over her waist, braided into a very beautiful fan-shaped braid, wearing traditional Tibetan clothes, dark and thin, about 60 years old (it may also be because she lives in the northwest region with very strong ultraviolet rays, which makes her look old, and her actual age is unknown). The other one was a monk with dark skin, firm and slightly fat, about 20 years old, and it felt like he was a little older than me. I vaguely remember his smiling face. The two of them knelt at the door of the main hall, right next to each other. The young monk knelt five times and the old woman knelt three times. In addition to feeling their piety, I also felt distressed about the deep traces left by time on the old woman. Before that, I always felt that what I needed was time. At that time, I felt that I was probably wasting time... Under the Bodhi tree, I remembered the sentence "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand" in a very middle school way... I still have a deep feeling about that. The main hall where the Bodhi tree is located has many murals. Compared with the Mogao Grottoes, they are poorly preserved, faded and peeled off. I heard from the explanation that they were all painted by monks in the past temples, which makes people admire them. By the way, Ta'er Temple is where I first saw Gesang flowers. Remember it and wish you happiness.

After arriving at Ta'er Temple, you can go to the ticket window to buy tickets or scan the QR code to buy tickets online, but you still need to queue up to get tickets. Maybe because of the National Day holiday, there were so many people. So I waited for nearly half an hour before I could buy tickets.

From the entrance, we went from the right to the top and then from the top to the bottom. We planned to spend about 3 hours to play around, so we simply went through many places without going into detail. If you want to have a detailed tour, it is reasonable to spend a day, as the temple is quite large.

In Ta’er Monastery, I saw for the first time the pilgrims that I had seen in the news or on the Internet.

Ta'er Monastery, also known as Taer Temple, was founded in the 10th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1377). It was named after the large silver pagoda built in the Dajinwa Temple to commemorate Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. It is called "Gunbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, which means "Maitreya Temple with 100,000 Lion Roaring Buddha Statues". It is located 25 kilometers southwest of Xining City, Qinghai Province.

Because it is the peak season, there is a long queue at the ticket office at the entrance of Ta'er Temple. Here, I would like to remind you that taking photos is prohibited in the temple. Here, the temple refers to the independent small temples. You can still take photos on the avenue and outside the small temples. If you take photos in the small temples where statues are enshrined, you will be responsible for the consequences. I just saw what the consequences were: a young lady secretly took out her mobile phone to take photos, and then the temple staff confiscated her phone! And it seems that she can't get it back...

The first stop is Ta’er Temple, which is not far from Xining city, but there is severe traffic jam around the scenic area. First, you have to go to the parking lot, walk from the parking lot to the scenic area shuttle bus, buy tickets, buy the scenic area electric car, and queue up to get on the bus. It turns out that it is not far from here to Ta’er Temple, and you have to pass through a town before you can reach the Ta’er Temple scenic area.

Judging from the subsequent scenic spots, the management of Ta'er Temple is currently the most chaotic and the reception capacity is poor. It may be that the reception capacity is insufficient in the face of so many tourists! Whether buying tickets on site or booking tickets online, the queues are very long. Ta'er Temple actually needs a tour guide and an interpreter to understand it. However, I finally bought the ticket. When I consulted the tour guide, I learned that the tour guides were all booked, so I had no choice but to rent an interpreter.

The Ta'er Monastery is quite large, giving people a sacred and solemn feeling. After all, it is the activity center of Tibetan Buddhism in Northwest China, and it is magnificent. We saw the famous White Pagoda, but we only took a quick look at it. After all, many things are really incomprehensible without explanation.

It was still raining, so we had to hurry through and queue up at the exit for the electric car to leave the scenic area. This place was also extremely crowded and the management was chaotic. They really should study an emergency plan for the increase in tourists.

The Ta'er Monastery was built with the birthplace of Master Tsongkhapa, the Great Silver Pagoda, as its center. It is a holy place of the Gelug sect. Currently, the monks practicing in the Ta'er Monastery are divided into four sects: the exoteric sect, the esoteric sect, the Kalachakra sect, and the Medicine Buddha sect. Each sect has its own monastery. In addition, butter sculptures, murals, and pile embroidery are the three wonders of the Ta'er Monastery. You must see them. Among them, murals and pile embroidery are scattered in various monasteries and temples, and butter sculptures have a special exhibition hall.

The Ta'er Monastery was named after the pagoda that was built before the temple. It is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It is the activity center of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest China. It is well-known in China and Southeast Asia and has a lot of incense. We invited a tour guide, who mentioned many times during the tour that if you want to make offerings in the temple, you can't do it just by having money, you have to queue up, and he also said that the waiting time for a certain level of offerings is ten years later. This shows the status of the Ta'er Monastery in the hearts of many believers.

The tickets to Ta'er Temple are half-price during the off-season, and there are few people. It happened to be the first day of the new year, and devout people have been lighting lamps and bowing in various temples one after another. The Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism is believed here. We saw the long head bowing here for the first time. Because you can't take pictures inside the temple, you can only take pictures from the outside. As soon as you enter the park, many paid tour guides will come up and ask you if you need an explanation. If you are lucky, you can listen on the side. If there are more people in a group, it is recommended to ask a tour guide to explain, otherwise you really don't know what to see. The explanation cost us 25 yuan per person. I gained a lot!

There are many tour guides around the gate. Remember to follow the direction and do not go against it.

In my impression, those who go to burn incense and worship Buddha are all asking for something from Buddha, whether it is money or love, etc. But when I see those believers who kowtow in Ta'er Temple, I can feel that faith can be engraved into the bones. I don't know what their living conditions are like, but I know that their lives must be full of hope.

It is said that there are three treasures in Ta’er Monastery: butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in these three places now. Students who want to see them can check it out by themselves. There are many on the Internet.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to see the lamas debating together. The noise was so loud that I thought there was a fight next door. I came over after hearing the noise and was quite curious to see the spectacular scene below. The exaggerated yet serious look on everyone's faces was very interesting, although I didn't understand a word they said.

Once you enter the Small Golden Tile Hall, the first thing that catches your eye is not the guardian deity, but the animal specimens in the corridor on the second floor. All of these animal specimens have been gutted after natural death, and then filled with Tibetan medicine made by the lamas.

When you turn around and walk out, you will find the murals on the wall are gorgeous and dazzling, which is also one of the three wonders of the Ta'er Temple - murals. The pigments used in these murals are made from pure natural minerals and plants, and are mixed with precious metals such as gold powder. Although they have been worn out for many years, they are still as new as ever.

Because of the particularity of the Gelug sect and the strict requirements for monks, I really didn't see any female monks when I entered the Ta'er Monastery.

Outside the Nine-Room Hall is a large square, which becomes lively after 4 p.m. every day. Why do I say that? Because this is the time for the lamas to debate. The whole debate is lively and passionate. Debating can be called a game for wise men, which contains profound truths. It is not only a form of interaction and communication, but also can activate thinking and open up wisdom. The whole square is full of applause, and tourists are also crowded. Indeed, this is the busiest time of the day in Ta'er Temple. Interested friends can go and experience it by themselves.

The red wall, if I remember correctly, seemed to be made of a plant called verbena.

I originally wanted to see if I should find a guide. I looked at the price and I don't remember how much it was. I had the impression that it was not cheap, so I wanted to see if anyone around me could compete. Then we found a "wild" guide at the gate. He was actually a local Tibetan. He was explaining the business inside. He was a very nice person and had a lot to say. In the end, it was very cheap. Photography is not allowed in the main hall. Although I saw some people secretly taking photos, I still consciously started from myself.

The eight iconic white pagodas at the entrance of Ta’er Monastery are a place where every tourist who comes here checks in, and the eight white pagodas have also become the iconic buildings of Ta’er Monastery.

The first time I came to Ta'er Temple, I was impressed by the rain, cold weather, and many people. The second time I came, I was ready to make up for the regret of the first time. I perfectly fulfilled the magic of "since I'm here, I must go and see it", and I spent 80 yuan to go in and see it. Sure enough! The second time I came, it rained again! And there were still as many people as before!

People living here have their own set of standards in dealing with others. Because they have faith in their hearts, they restrain themselves more in all aspects of life. When the first ray of sunlight in the morning shines on the earth, devout believers will go along the slope to pray devoutly, no matter how cold or hot it is, they never fail to do so.

Due to time constraints, I was unable to visit every corner of the temple, but fortunately I had the opportunity to roughly experience the profoundness of Tibetan Buddhism, and to appreciate the artistic masterpieces created by our ancestors with their wise hands.

My experience of visiting Ta’er Monastery is much worse than that in Gannan. The experience and scenery are not as good as those in Gannan. However, the status of Ta’er Monastery among the Gelugpa monasteries cannot be matched by the Labrang Monastery in Gannan.

Ta'er Monastery in Huangzhong County is 25 kilometers southwest of Xining City. Ta'er Monastery was first built in the 10th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in the northwest region and a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It got its name because the pagoda was built first and the temple was built later. The small square at the entrance of the scenic area is not big, and occasionally you will encounter pilgrims wearing Buddhist costumes walking out of it. Outside the temple is a small pedestrian street, selling some Tibetan specialties, of course, there are also scattered small accessories that are unified across the country, but the decorations of many shops are very Tibetan.

The closest tourist spot to Xining is crowded.

Go early.

There is no free admission before 8 o'clock.

If you are interested in religion, you can go and have a look.

There are relatively fewer people walking back

2-3 hours of walking time.

Please explain that it is not cheap, about 150, not as timely as the legend, especially after entering the park in the morning, the so-called black tour guide has no room for negotiation

When entering, due to religious traditions, girls must wear long pants or ankle-length skirts~

On the right side of the temple are eight white pagodas - called the Eight Wish-fulfilling Pagodas, also known as the Eight Pagodas of the Good Gathering. Each pagoda has a name, representing the eight virtues of Sakyamuni. The pagodas are plastered with white lime, the base is made of blue bricks, and the waist is decorated with scriptures. There is also a niche on the south side of each pagoda, which contains Sanskrit.

In addition to tourists, there are also good people who worship around the eight pagodas from time to time. It is not easy to take a few photos of the pass here.

The temple is very much in Tibetan Buddhist style, with colorful and contrasting colors, inlaid with gold and silver, grand, rigorous and sacred.

As a beginner in Buddhism, you may feel it more strongly than most people, and you will always want to know the origins of each building.

It's a pity that we didn't hire a guide at the door to save money, thinking that we could listen for free. It turned out that the guides were not stupid. All the small teams with guides explained in a low voice, and with the noisy people around, it was hard to hear a few words!

Here, it is recommended that those who want to better understand Tibetan Buddhist culture should pay someone to lead the tour and explain it to you. Otherwise, everything here will just be... a bunch of buildings... to you.

It is common sense that you cannot take photos in the temple or in front of the Buddha statues in such a sacred place, so we can only take a few photos outside the building. But here I want to ask, why are there so many tourists in the temple? The noise of tourists is much louder than the sound of chanting, and most of the tourists are just posing for photos everywhere. Nothing is what a holy place should be like.

I followed the crowd and walked for a while, and came out around noon. It's a bit of a pity that I didn't get to know it well.

Ta'er Temple is located in Huangzhong County under the jurisdiction of Xining City. There is no passenger train yet, so you have to take a bus from Xining. There are two options to get to Ta'er Temple from Xining: 1. Take a bus from the railway station to Xinning Road Passenger Station, take the Xita Expressway to Ta'er Temple, and it will take half an hour without traffic jams. 2. Take a bus from the railway station to the west exit of Nanshan Road, take the Xining Ta'er Temple Bus Line, and it will take an hour without traffic jams. I decided to go there in the first way and return in the second way. Go to the right side of Xining Railway Station, and you will find the Bus Passenger Transport Center. You can take the Tourism Light Line (reverse) to Xinning Road Passenger Station, and then take a bus to Ta'er Temple on the highway. It should be noted that it is not allowed to take photos in the Buddha Halls here. In addition to the temple, Ta'er Temple is also an educational institution of Tibetan Buddhism. It has four major sutras of exoteric Buddhism, esoteric Buddhism, Kalachakra (astronomy), and Yiming (medicine). It is the highest institution of Buddhist studies in Qinghai. According to unreliable news, the Buddha once taught believers that the final form of Buddhism is an educational system! The four major monasteries of Ta'er Monastery require many examinations. The Kalachakra Sutra Institute awards "Zerenba" to those with excellent grades, which is equivalent to a doctoral degree in a university. After two or three hours in Ta'er Monastery, simply put, Ta'er Monastery is not a tourist attraction, but a place to understand Buddhism and bathe in the Buddha's affinity. After leaving Ta'er Monastery, you can take the Xining Ta'er Monastery bus line back to Xining at the place where you got off when you came. Please note that the bus says Gonghe Road South Exit, but in fact, the West Exit of Nanshan Road is the terminal.

In order to earn more from the shuttle bus fares, the walking distance to the main entrance of the scenic area is very far (the advantage is that you can see the magnificent gate).

Although Ta'er Monastery is now a popular tourist destination, there are still some temples that are not open to the public and are only used for papal affairs.

Most of the other courtyards open to the public do not allow photography.

It takes at least 2 hours to visit the whole Ta'er Temple, but some tour groups try to finish the tour in about an hour in order to meet the schedule. As a result, many people only visit the Golden Tile Hall and then turn back, which is a pity.

The Tantric Sutra Hall, Kalachakra Sutra Hall and Tara Hall deep in the scenic area are all very interesting.

The origin of the Ta'er Monastery is that the tower was built first and then the temple, hence the name Ta'er Monastery. The Ta'er Monastery has three unique features: lifelike butter sculptures, colorful murals and colorful embroidery.

Ta'er Monastery, first built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism in China. Ta'er Monastery is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was named "Ta'er Monastery" because a memorial tower for Tsongkhapa was built there first, and then the monastery was gradually built. Over the past hundreds of years, the monastery has been expanded several times and has become a center of Tibetan Buddhism activities in northwest China. It is famous at home and abroad for its long history and lofty status in the Tibetan Buddhist community. Butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery are known as the "three unique arts of Ta'er Monastery". In its heyday, there were more than 3,600 monks and more than 80 living Buddhas living in the monastery.

Taer Monastery, called "Gubenxianbalin" in Tibetan, means Maitreya Continent of 100,000 Lion Roaring Buddha Statue. It is a holy place of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect. It is famous for the pagoda first and then the temple. The temple is wrapped in a golden pagoda. It was named "Taer Monastery" because the memorial pagoda of Master Tsongkhapa was built at first and then the temple was gradually built. It is located in the Zongka area in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 25 kilometers southwest of Xining City, Qinghai Province, in a valley shaped like an eight-petal lotus. It was built in 1379 AD and has been expanded several times before it began to take shape. In its heyday, there were more than 3,600 monks living in the temple, more than 80 living Buddhas, and more than 800 monks now. It covers an area of 143 hectares, with 52 halls, more than 10,000 monks' quarters and various buildings, and more than 100,000 cultural relics. It was announced by the State Council as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1961, and was awarded the national 5A tourist attraction in 2012.

The Ta'er Temple, located in Huangzhong County, is a symbol of Xining City. You can take bus No. 909 from the railway station, which takes 70 minutes one way. If you take a taxi, it takes 30 minutes one way and costs 60 yuan. It takes about 2 hours to visit the entire Ta'er Temple.

The butter sculpture exhibition hall of the Ta'er Monastery is really beautiful. The butter sculptures are replaced every year, so you can see some exhibits of varying degrees of oldness and newness. However, taking photos is prohibited here, so you can feast your eyes on the butter sculptures in the online photos first.

The construction of Taer Monastery was entirely due to Tsongkhapa. He had been away from home for many years since he left home at the age of 16 to study Buddhism in Tibet. His mother, Xiangsa Aqie, missed him very much and sent a bunch of her white hair to her mother, telling her that she was already gray-haired and hoped that he would come back to see her. Tsongkhapa was determined not to return for the sake of Buddhism. He sent a self-portrait painted with his own nosebleed and a lion-roaring Buddha statue to his mother and sister respectively. He wrote in the letter: "If you can build a pagoda at the place where I was born with 100,000 lion-roaring Buddha statues and bodhi trees as the womb, it would be like meeting me." In 1379, his mother and believers built a lotus-gathering pagoda with stone slabs according to Tsongkhapa's wishes. This was the earliest building of Taer Monastery. In 1577, believers built a Ming Dynasty Han-style Buddhist temple next to the pagoda, called Maitreya Hall. Since the pagoda came first and the temple came later, the Han people in the Amdo region called the two together Taer Monastery.

Ta'er Monastery

It is a famous Lama temple in my country, the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and the center of Buddhist activities in the northwest region. The temple is magnificent in scale, with more than 800 halls at its peak. It is one of the six famous Lama temples in my country (the other five are Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Ganden Monastery in Tibet and Labrang Monastery in Gansu), and is well-known throughout the country and Southeast Asia.

The Ta'er Monastery was named after the pagoda that was built before the temple. It consists of many palaces, scripture halls, and pagodas, such as the Big Golden Tile Temple, the Small Golden Tile Temple, the Big Sutra Hall, the Big Kitchen, the Nine-Room Hall, the Big Lalang, the Ruyi Pagoda, the Taiping Pagoda, the Bodhi Pagoda, and the Gate Pagoda. The temples are connected, and the white pagodas stand in a row with unique shapes. The butter sculptures, murals, and pile embroidery in the temple are known as the "Three Wonders of the Ta'er Monastery", with unique national style and high artistic value.

Ta'er Monastery, also known as Taer Temple, is located in the urban area of Huangzhong District, Xining City, the capital of Qinghai Province. It was founded in the 12th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1379). It was named after the large silver pagoda built in the Dajinwa Temple to commemorate Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. It is called "Gunbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, which means "Maitreya Temple with 100,000 lion roaring Buddha statues."

The trip to Ta'er Monastery is worthwhile. After visiting here, I deeply felt the profoundness and sacredness of Buddhism, and my soul was also cultivated and sublimated.

The butter sculptures in Ta’er Monastery are exquisite.

Ta'er Monastery, one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect, is called "Yanbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, which means "Maitreya Temple with 100,000 lion roaring Buddha statues". It is located in the Lotus Valley in the southwest corner of Lushar Town, Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province. Because the pagoda was built first and the temple was built later, it was named Ta'er Monastery. The construction of Ta'er Monastery began in 1560 AD and was completed in 1577.

The Eight Treasures Ruyi Pagoda is located in the square in front of the temple. It is said that these eight pagodas were built to commemorate the eight great merits of the Buddha Sakyamuni in his life. Their shapes are similar, with a height of 6.4 meters, a circumference of 9.4 meters at the base, and a base area of 5.7 square meters. The pagoda body is plastered with white lime, the base is made of blue bricks, and the waist is decorated with scriptures. There is also a niche on the south side of each pagoda body, which contains Sanskrit scriptures.

According to legend, this is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect, and it occupies an important position in Tibetan Buddhism, especially in the Gelug sect.

The Big and Small Golden Tile Halls, the Big Sutra Hall, and the Small Flower Temple in the Ta'er Monastery are all attractions that cannot be missed. The paintings, pile embroidery, and butter sculptures in the temple are well-known both at home and abroad and are known as the "three artistic wonders" of the Ta'er Monastery. It is a bit regrettable that photography is not allowed indoors.

Xining's most famous scenic spot. If you are interested in Tibetan Buddhism, you can ask the guide to learn more about the mysterious history. Photography is prohibited inside the temple, but the red walls and white towers outside are very beautiful under the sunlight.

You must hire a tour guide to get your money's worth. You really can't understand it by yourself. A lot of knowledge in Tibetan Buddhism is different from that in the Central Plains. The butter sculptures are a must-see! The Bodhi tree is the only one on the plateau. This is the birthplace of Master Tsongkhapa. If you are lucky, you can get a Bodhi leaf.

There are too many people, and every corner is filled with tourists and explanations. The temple lacks tranquility. But overall it is quite unique. Tibetan Buddhism, after all, I have never seen it before, but it is worth a look.

This is a pure land, a holy place. People flock here for worship and sightseeing, from all directions and thousands of miles away. Believers almost measure the land with their bodies, and run devoutly to the gods in their hearts; travelers aim at the treasure house of world cultural heritage, a magical picture scroll interwoven with ethnic beliefs and regional scenery of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Ta'er Monastery is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Northwest China, located in Huangzhong County, only a few dozen kilometers away from Xining. We stayed in Huangzhong on the second day of our trip, which was more convenient and cheaper than living in Xining.



I entered the temple early in the morning. In fact, it had not started to receive tourists yet. The monks were all in the morning class. Of course, there were not so many tourists at this time, but I could see the believers who came to worship and experience the atmosphere.

You are not allowed to take photos inside the temple, but it looks quite magnificent from the outside. There are many locals serving as guides. Although they do not speak Mandarin, they are quite local. We found a person. It cost 120 RMB. After listening to his explanation, I learned a lot about Tibetan Buddhism. There are many Tibetan restaurants nearby. I was very curious about the Tibetan food for the first time, and I thought it was delicious.

It took us about 40 minutes to drive from Xining to Ta'er Monastery.

The Ta'er Monastery is a holy place of Chinese Lamaism. The temples are well-proportioned, with red walls and golden tiles, which is very beautiful. It is especially suitable for friends who like taking photos.

There were too many people that day, and people had to line up to enter the Dajinwa Temple. Because there is a rule of "no photography inside the temple", basically I could only take pictures of the outer wall...

1) Visiting time: nearly 3 hours. There are still a few spots left to visit. So it is recommended to spend at least half a day.

2) Special note: You are not allowed to wear miniskirts or shorts when entering the temple, they must be above the knee.

There are no requirements for shoes, which means girls' sandals are allowed to enter.

The Eight Pagodas of Tathagata are really beautiful.

It's a great place to take pictures. No matter where you stand, you'll feel like you're in a movie.

It’s just that there were too many people and it was too crowded, so I couldn’t get a better understanding of this famous temple. . . .

I hope to have the opportunity to come again in the off-season.

For me, Ta'er Monastery is the worst attraction on this trip, no doubt about it.

After navigating to the parking lot of the Ta'er Temple scenic area, my husband found that the parking lot was 4.5 kilometers away from the Ta'er Temple scenic area. My husband immediately suspected that the navigation was wrong. It's a pity that the navigation requires all cars to park in the parking lot, then pass through a block of small vendors selling specialties of Ta'er Temple, and then pay to take the Ta'er Temple sightseeing bus to enter the scenic area. You have to buy the sightseeing bus ticket first, and then buy the Ta'er Temple ticket. The adult ticket of Ta'er Temple can be bought online, and the ticket vending machine can pick up the ticket in one minute, while the preferential tickets for children and the elderly must be bought at the on-site window. So, there were huge queues. In order to avoid queuing, I gave up the preferential treatment and bought four adult tickets.

Please, what era is this? The information system cannot verify the identity. Do we still need manual verification to confirm whether it is an elderly person or a child?

There was a huge crowd and I didn’t feel anything special. It seemed not as good as the Daci Temple in Chengdu, where admission was based on the number of people. The price/performance ratio was not high. I personally felt the ticket price was a bit expensive, so I suggested that I consider it!

Ta'er Monastery is the only one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China that is not located in the Tibet Autonomous Region. In addition to the three treasures and the sun-bathing of the Buddha in the temple, the panoramic view from the mountain opposite the gate is also quite spectacular.

A must-see attraction in Xining. Ta'er Temple is the Buddhist center of Qinghai Province and Northwest China and the holy place of the Yellow Sect. The tower was built first and then the temple, hence the name Ta'er Temple. There are three unique features here: butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery. It is also a very famous temple in the Tibetan area. The most attractive one is the annual sun-drying of the big Buddha or the big thangka, also known as the "Buddha Exhibition Festival".

There are too many tourists, so tickets have to be checked twice in each courtyard and photography is not allowed. The management is very strict. The core of the Dajinwa Temple complex is relatively compact, and later it became larger and larger.

Ta'er Temple is the first choice for Xining's suburban tours. It is located in Huangzhong County and can be reached by carpooling or taking a bus from the management station in downtown Xining. Ta'er Temple is one of the six major temples of the Gelugpa (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism in China. There are many tourists coming here in summer, so it is strongly recommended to travel during off-peak hours!

The first stop in Xining was the only rainy day of our trip. The rain was really heavy and could be considered moderate rain. The rain was drizzling down, and our mood became worse as the rain got heavier. Fortunately, today's itinerary was to visit the Ta'er Temple. Since we were here, we might as well make the best of it. Maybe the Ta'er Temple in the rain will have scenery that we can't see on sunny days? (Okay, I admit that this is self-consolation)



The Ta'er Temple is quite far from the city. The special bus is cheaper but the waiting time will be very long. Moreover, the special bus does not take you to the entrance of the Ta'er Temple. It will drop you off at a parking lot far away from the scenic spot. Then you either spend another 20 yuan to take an electric car to get there, or walk a long way to the entrance of the scenic spot. This is quite a rip-off and you need to pay attention. If you charter a car, the unified price is now 100 yuan, and the taxi driver will not help you use the meter. It feels like the rule of Xining taxi drivers. The advantage is that you can be taken directly to the entrance of the scenic spot. If there are many people, it is recommended to charter a car to avoid queuing for the electric car to drive in.



Ta'er Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China and the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the world's second-greatest Buddha. The lifelike butter sculptures, colorful murals and colorful embroidery are known as the "three unique arts of Ta'er Monastery". Ta'er Monastery is almost as famous as the Potala Palace in Tibet and is one of the most famous Tibetan Buddhist temples. The entire temple is very large and it would take a whole day to carefully visit each room one by one.



Pilgrims like those in the movie Gangpo Tsering can be seen everywhere in the temple, kowtowed to the main hall, with a thin blanket under their feet. It is said that these pilgrims must kowtow a certain number of times before leaving the Ta'er Monastery. They usually eat, wear and live in the temple. It can be seen that they are a group of true believers and are very pious.



It should be noted that you are allowed to take photos outside the main hall of the Ta'er Monastery, but you are not allowed to take photos inside the buildings that require ticket inspection (there are usually signs to remind you where you are not allowed to take photos). If you take out your camera and take photos without permission, the consequences will be very serious! I personally saw an uncle who was taking photos of the Buddha with a SLR and was seen by the lama and asked to leave the temple. I don’t know what happened next, but a harsh reprimand was inevitable. Tibetan Buddhist temples are even more strict in observing these rules. Anyway, when you are on someone else’s territory, you must abide by the rules of the owner. This is also a minimum respect for the owner!



It was drizzling, and we took a quick tour in less than half a day. The hall of butter sculptures is worth a visit. All the butter sculptures are very exquisite, and those who can make them are all masters of art.

Recommendation index: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anyone who needs to book tickets can send me a private message.

The origin of the Ta'er Monastery is to commemorate Tsongkhapa. His mother was so eager to see her son that she cut off a strand of white hair to send him off for his journey to learn Buddhism. However, Tsongkhapa wrote a letter in blood, "If you build a pagoda in the place where I was born with 100,000 lion-roaring Buddha statues and a bodhi tree as a womb, it would be like seeing me." So the pagoda was built first in the Ta'er Monastery, and a bodhi tree that is still growing is wrapped in the pagoda. It is said that the leaves of the bodhi tree all present different Buddha statues. Turning 100,000 times and prostrating 100,000 times, the 100,000 comes from this. So the Ta'er Monastery first had a pagoda and then a temple.

Ta'er Monastery, also known as Taer Monastery, was founded in the 10th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1377). It was named after the large silver pagoda built in the Great Golden Tile Temple to commemorate Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. It is called "Gunbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, which means "Maitreya Temple with 100,000 lion roaring Buddha statues". Ta'er Monastery is the activity center of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest China and enjoys a high reputation in China and Southeast Asia. The central governments of all dynasties have highly respected the religious status of Ta'er Monastery. The Ming Dynasty conferred titles on the upper religious figures in the temple many times. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty bestowed the plaque "Jingshang Jinliang", Emperor Qianlong bestowed the title "Fanzong Temple", and bestowed the plaque "Fanjiao Fazhuang" on the Great Golden Tile Temple.

Young friends are not recommended to visit. We checked the card at the gate but did not enter the scenic area. Friends in the same car entered but were a little disappointed. So I don't recommend it. (There are many vendors selling small souvenirs at the gate, and they will follow you to sell them)

It is very beautiful, with many different views inside. It is very quiet, where you can quietly wait and enjoy different beautiful views. There are also many Buddha statues inside, each of which is lifelike. You can go in and worship. The service attitude is also very good. The Ta'er Temple is located in Lushar Town, Huangzhong County, 25 kilometers southwest of Xining City, Qinghai Province. It is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. The Ta'er Temple, also known as the Taer Temple, has lifelike butter sculptures in the Ta'er Temple, which are well-known far and wide. The Ta'er Temple is one of the six major temples of the Gelug Sect (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It is also the leading scenic spot in Qinghai Province and a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Ta'er Monastery is one of the most famous Yellow Sect temples in the northwest. It was built in the early Ming Dynasty. Many living Buddhas came here to preach and conduct religious activities. This temple is very large, with more than 9,000 houses, countless religious items, and rich cultural relics. Among them, the Big Golden Tile Hall is the main hall of the temple. It is magnificent and enshrines the statue of Tsongkhapa. It takes a whole day to visit here.

Ta'er Monastery is the Buddhist center of Qinghai Province and Northwest China and the holy place of the Yellow Sect. The main buildings are located on the slopes of a ditch on Lianhua Mountain, with more than 9,300 rooms (stoves), including the Great Golden Tile Temple, the Great Sutra Hall, the Maitreya Hall, the Nine-Room Hall, the Flower Temple, the Small Golden Tile Temple, the Juba Zhacang, the Dingke Zhacang, the Manba Zhacang, the Dalalang, the Big Kitchen, the Ruyi Pagoda, etc., forming a huge Tibetan-Han architectural complex covering an area of 450,000 square meters. Butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery are known as the "three unique arts of Ta'er Monastery."

1. Resume

The pagoda was built first, and then the temple, so it is called Taer Temple. Taer Temple is also known as "Taer Temple". It was built in the tenth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, about 1377. The name means "Maitreya Buddha with 100,000 lion roars". It is located in the southwest of Xining City, Qinghai Province. It is a national AAAAA-level scenic spot. Butter sculptures, murals and pile embroidery are known as the "three unique arts of Taer Temple". In addition, the temple also houses many Buddhist collections and academic monographs on history, literature, philosophy, medicine, legislation, etc.

2. Self-perception

As the first stop in Qinghai, it was also the first time for me to come into close contact with Tibetan culture. My heart was full of mystery. It was also the first time for me to see kowtow with my own eyes, and I realized the degree of Tibetan people’s belief in their own culture. They also prostrated themselves on the ground in the same way as they kowtowed.

3. Most of the attractions

It is recommended to spend about 2 hours. Time: 8:00-17:00. Ta'er Monastery has more than 1,000 courtyards and more than 4,500 temples and monks' quarters, including the Great Golden Tile Temple, the Small Golden Tile Temple, the Flower Temple, the Great Sutra Hall, the Nine-Room Hall, the Dalalang, the Ruyi Pagoda, the Taiping Pagoda, the Bodhi Pagoda, the Gate Pagoda, etc. It is large in scale, with palaces, Buddhist halls, scripture study halls, sleeping palaces, the Zhasha where the Lamas live, and courtyards complementing each other and forming a whole. It has been the center of the Yellow Sect and a Buddhist holy place since ancient times.



4. Tickets

The normal ticket price is 80 per person, students and seniors ~ half price 40 per person, and group tickets for more than 5 people are 20 per person.

5. Transportation

You can take bus No. 23 in Xining City to get there, which takes about an hour and the cost of carpooling is about 15 yuan per person.

It is worth going to Xining, where the scenery and culture are both online.

The three wonders of Ta'er Temple are worth seeing, especially the butter sculptures.

You can learn a lot about Tibetan Buddhism by taking a tour with a tour guide, which is very interesting. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time if you just rush through it.

A large temple with strong religious beliefs, worth visiting

1. Ta'er Temple has a long history, less damage, and exquisite architecture. But there are too many people.

2. The gate is too far from the scenic area.

It is worth going, the big golden Buddha inside is super impressive. Unfortunately, there are many new buildings

Before going to Ta'er Monastery, you should first determine your position: Are you a tourist here for sightseeing? Or a Buddhist here for worship? Then decide what to do.

A 5A-level scenic spot, a business card of Xining, it is worth a visit.

It's worth a visit to see different cultures and religious beliefs

If you want to experience Tibetan Buddhism, you must visit

Great! I have a different feeling every time I go there.

I feel like it's a place to check in, it would be more special

There are Tibetan-style temples. You must visit it when you come to Xining. It is not far from Xining. There is a direct bus from the train station.

It is one of the six major Tibetan Buddhist temples and the birthplace of Tsongkhapa. It has a strong Buddhist cultural atmosphere and the tour guide's explanation is also quite detailed.

The Tibetan style is strong and the ancient monuments are worth seeing. Recommended

It is soul-stirring, Tsinghua University among the Buddhist colleges, faith!

We worshipped devoutly, even though we were just tourists.

Ta'er Monastery is an important activity center of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest China.

The first stop of the trip to Qinghai, a holy place of Tibetan Buddhism.

The first stop on the first day, the weather was pretty good. The weather forecast said it would rain, but it didn't rain and it was sunny. I was happy and took some photos of some super beautiful sisters.

It's OK. I admire the devout faith of the believers!!!

This is my second visit to Ta'er Temple. I am still shocked! Whether you have faith or not, you can feel the purity and simplicity here. Photography is not allowed indoors, but you must visit the Butter Flower Pavilion.