The Yonghegong temple

8th June 2013 - 4pm.
An overcast day, and after a morning wandering around Tiananmen square, and a couple of granola bars for lunch I set off to explore the Lama temple, suitably intrigued by the name.

Danny, a friendly voice on the phone still, (we hadn't met as yet) gave me wonderful directions on how to use the subway and to go to Yonghegong station, from where the temple was a short walk.

And I was transported, from this Beijing.......

.....to this!  Low-rise and so Chinese!

I knew I was getting close to the temple! 

The colourful entrance

I was captivated by this simple and beautiful walkway in to the complex.  I was calmed by the green, the chirping birds, and this sudden shutting out of the frenzy of the street.

This complex was originally a palace for a princeling, who converted it into a lamasery when he became king in 1722.  This temple survived the Cultural Revolution (according to Wikipedia), due to the good offices of Zhou Enlai.

Inscriptions on the massive bell

The East Stele Pavillion - it has a huge white marble stele, on which there are inscriptions in Manchurian and Han, recording how the palace became a lamasery.

A common symbol across monuments in Beijing - a lion.  They are like our dwarapaalikas, symbolically guarding  the dwelling and its inhabitants.  This is the male one, with mouth open and paw on a ball.  (The lioness will have her paw on a cub.)  But I thought those droopy ears gave it a dog-like look.  Now this is a Qing-period bronze lion, different from the Ming period lions.

This is the extent of worship that I saw besides the chanting monks.  (Outside the Devaraja Hall)

Within the Devaraja hall was a line up of four heavenly Kings, each with a different weapon in hand.

This one did not seem to approve of my activities!

The main Yonghegong hall.  Yonghegong means everlasting peace and harmony.  So this hall had these Buddhas - the one straight ahead is Gautama Buddha, the one on the left is Maithreya and if I am not mistaken Kasyapa is hidden by the pillar on the right.  The eighteen arhats lined the walls.  I loved these Chinese depictions of the arhats, so expressive were the faces.  Unfortunately it was too dark inside for me to take photographs, and I did not think it good to use the flash.  I only have this memory of the laughing one, the fat one, and one who looked distinctly Indian as well.

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The beautiful tangkas on the walls

What is this script?  Isn't there a trace of sanskrit in it?

In the Falun Hall - Statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Geluk sect of Tibetan Buddhism.  This was the hall where the monks studied, with those modern table lamps nowadays.

The roof above

You can hear the chanting of the monks in this video.

I was glad I visited this complex, a hint of Japan as well for me with those pine trees.

As I emerged back onto the street and the bustle of Beijing, the phone rang again, and it was Danny, a little anxious I think, as to how I had fared.  On hearing that I had navigated myself quite competently, he urged me to explore the little street opposite the temple where there were a lot of quaint Chinese shops and local eateries.  I left with a tinge of regret though, as I hurried back to catch the rest of the conference group and a Beijing Duck dinner that never was.

But that is another story!