Kumbum Monastery - One of the Six Greatest Tibetan Gelug Monasteries with Three Arts

Different from most Buddhist temples, Kumbum Monastery was buildt after a pagoda. According to Buddhist legend, Tsongkhapa was born in an eight petals-like col in Xining in 1357. When his mother cut the funicle, a sandalwood tree (the "Tree of Great Merit") grew from where the blood dropped. The three has one hundred leaves and each one grew into a Buddhist image. To further study Buddhism, Tsongkhapa went to Tibet at the age of 16. Six years has passed, his monther missed hims so much that she wrote a letter to ask him return hime. However, Tsongkhapa stayed in Tibet for continous learning, replied with a self-portrait and a Lions’ Roar Buddhist image and told his mother that she can build a pagoda on where he was born. Seeing the pogoda is equel to see himself. Hence, in the second year (1379, period of Hongwu Emperor of Ming Dynasty), his mother and followers built Julian Pagoda.

In the following 180 years, the pagoda went through many reconstructions and repairs. Later, lots of Buddhist halls, sculptures and colleges have been added successively, and it formed a monastery in 1612 officially. During the Qing Dynasty, the goverment frequently awarded Kumbum Monastery Buddhist statues, stupas, Dharma vessels, Sutras, etc. In its heyday, the temple housed 3,600 monks and 80 rinpoches.

Pagodas of Buddha Shakyamuni 八宝如意塔

The Eight Pagodas of Buddha Shakyamuni are typical Tibetan Pagodas originally built in 1776 to commemorate the eight merits and virtues of Buddha Shakyamuni. Located in the front square, this group is one of the most representative buildings of Kumbum Monastery. With different shapes and sizes, the eight pagodas share the same height of 6.4 meters. The body of pagodas is colored in white and the 5.7-square-meter base is piled up by colorful bricks. You can see the waist of each pagoda is decorated with delicate scriptures and beautiful patterns and many standing lions. In the south body of Pagoda is a niche with Sanskrit. There are thousands of small Buddhist statues and sorts of Sutras and Buddhist objects, including the tent and stuffs used by Tsongkhapa.

Grand Golden Tiled Hall 大金瓦殿

The Grand Golden Tiled Hall, built in 1379, is the main hall and the grandest hall situated in the heart of Kumbum Monastery. The whole building is extremely well-designed, three-eave gable and hip roof palace with glazed tile walls and gilded copper tile roofs. Each brim is embellished with gilded cloud-shape flowers and petals of lotus, and you can find guardian warriors, sacred animals and bronze bells in every corner of the eaves. Stepping in, an 11-meter tall golden coated tower cored by white sandalwood and bedecked by various treasures is worshiped. In the niche on the top of the tower stands the statue of Tsongkhapa. This golden tower is the treasure of Kumbum Monastery, and Buddhists believe that meeting the tower means meeting the master Tsongkhapa.

Dhammapala Hall 小金瓦殿

Dhammapala Hall, also named the Small Golden Tiled Hall, was constructed in 1692. It is famous and attractive for housing the Dhammapala who always exorcised the evil spirits. This is a two-story building with single eave and gilded bronze-tile covered roof. It shows its own beauty with outsider walls installed with bronze mirror and adorned with hemp cords. The two corridors are lined with lively specimen of oxen, antelopes, monkeys, orangutans, tigers, bears and leopard which are saddle mounts of Dhammapala and shows the stateliness and omnipotence of Dhammapala. On the left side of the hall is the specimen of a white horse which is said to be the horse of Dalai Lama Ⅲ.

Main Assembly Hall 大经堂

The Main Assembly Hall is a place where the Buddhists gather to recite the sutras and important Buddhist activities are held. Primitively built in 1621, burnt in 1912 and rebuilt in 1913, this hall became the largest building occupying nearly 2,000 square kilometers. All the ornaments in Main Assembly Hall are very elegant, including colored sutra streamers, caisson in the ceiling, and valuable barbola of Buddha. According to religions guide and Tibetan traditional art, this monotonous flattop is added with gild bronze Aquarius, cleverish pagoda and inverted bells and turns to be colorful and bright but still solemn.

1.Vivid Yak Butter Sculptures

Yak Butter Sculptures were produced in Tibet initially. There were no fresh flowers offered to Buddha in the cold winter, so the disciples made flowers by yak butter to show their respect. The skill of making Butter Sculpture was brought to Kumbum Monastery and developed by the Buddhists after their painstaking research, and finally became a superb art.

In Yak Butter Scripture Hall (酥油花馆), you can satisfy your eyes with a full view of the fine sculptures of statues of Buddha, human figures, landscape, pavilions, animals and plants. In order to make excellent Butter Sculpture, the workers have to immerse their hands in the cold water even in freezing winter. An exhibition takes place in every 15th January of Chinese lunar calendar after three months’ preparation. At this time, you can appreciate a variety of Yak Butter Sculptures as well as respectful and solemn music played by a local band. Kumbum Monastery has two institues specilize in making the sculptures and the monks start from 15 years old and go in for it lifelong.

2.Imaginative Barbola

Barbola is an exclusive folk art in Kumbum Monastery. As the crystallization of the wisdom, it is highly glorified by Buddhist followers and prized by the social artists. It enjoys a great three-dimensional sense in that raised pattern are embroidered in the cloth. The theme of Barbola focus on the activities of Buddha mainly mixed with appropriate figures, animals and plants. Being fine carved, colorful and lively style, Barbola works are important treasures in Kumbum Monastery. In the Main Assembly Hall, you can feast your eyes on gorgeous Barbola especially the greatest “sixteen disciples of the Buddha” and “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea”.

3.Exquisite Murals

Some of the murals are drawn on the wall directly, but most of the murals are drawn on a cloth and fixed on the wall. These murals in Kumbum Monastery show a vivid and brilliant color and the color is long-lasting for the special mineral material chosen. In addition to harmonious color, the pictures have an ingenious design and well layout. Distinguished with paintings of Han Nationality, most of the murals have drawn materials from Buddhist sutra, legendary, life experience of Shakyamuni or other images of Buddha. As a result, you can feel a strong religious atmosphere from them. In every Sutra-viewing Festival, the Buddhists will put an about 30-meter-long cloth with giant Buddha high on the hills, calling Giant Buddha Exhibition.

Buddhist Scripture Debating is a typical way for monks in Kumbum Monastery to study Buddhist Scriptures and one of the daily tasks of the monks. The debating scenes differed among circles. In some group, the pair of debating monks confronted face to face, with the questioner standing and the responder sitting cross-legged; while the other groups placed the questioner in the center while the rest sitting in a semi-circle. According to the convention, the questioners keep asking until on one can raise one more, and the responder can only answer but not ask back. It seems like a furious debate of wisdom.

The Buddhist Scripture Debating always begins in 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm. Afterwards, the participants will chant scripture and study together.

Attend Grand Buddhist Fairs

Kumbum Monastery hold four big dharma assemblies annually in the first, fourth, sixth and ninth month of Chinese lunar calendar. There are both traditional Buddhist festivals and grand Buddhist events for Kumbum Monastery. During the festivals, many Buddhist activities will he held, like the Buddhist scripture debating, Mask Dance, Buddhist Sutras chanting, Thangka painting exibition, praying, alms giving, etc. During the fairs, you can see monks wearing featured masks and colorful costumes, expressing Buddhist teachings by exaggerated gestures and moves and some monks accompanied by cymbals and suonas. A giant delicate Thangka painting of Tsongkhapa will be unfolded down the mountain side. Buddhists believe that seeing the Thangka means seeing the master.

Distance & Traffic Time for Getting to Kumbum Monastery

● Xinning Caojiabao International Airport (XMN) - Kumbum Monastery: about 55 km, 1 hour by car; at least 3 hours by public transport (airport bus with additional buses)

● Xining Railway Station - Kumbum Monastery: about 35 km, 50 minutes ~ 1 hour by private car, 2 hours by Xining city bus

(By Bus: There are buses running from Xining Railway Station to Huangzhong Bus Station, which takes about 1 hour. The bus terminal is only 2 km from Kumbum Monastery. So, you can either take a 10-minute taxi or a 30-minute bus to the monastery.)

● Downtown Xining - Kumbum Monastery: about 28 km, 40 minutes’ drive, 1.5 hours by Xining city bus (the fastest bus is Bus 909)

(By Bus: Xining Xinninglu Bus Station (西宁市新宁路汽车站) and Xining Guanlizhan Bus Station (西宁市管理站公交车站) in downtown Xining also departs direct buses to Kumbum Monastery frequently. The former route needs about 1 hour and the latter takes around 40 minutes. )

● Dongguan Great Mosque - Kumbum Monastery: about 30 km, 50 minutes by car, more than 1 hour 40 minutes by Xining city bus (the fastest bus is Bus 909)

● Tibetan Medicine & Tibet Culture Museum - Kumbum Monastery: about 30 km, 1 hour by car, around 2.5 hours by city bus (extra transfer is needed)

● Qinghai Lake - Kumbum Monastery: about 150 km, 2.5 hours by private car

● Chaka Salt Lake - Kumbum Monastery: nearly 300 km, 4 hours by private car

▶ Qinghai Lake

Highlights: the biggest inland lake & the largest saltwater lake in China, the most beautiful lake in China with azure blue water and sky, white floating clouds, vast golden sea of rape flowers and grassland ashore, rolling mountains afar.

Location: Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai; about 150 km, 2.5 hours’ drive from Kumbum Monastery

Ticket: 89 RMB

Recommended Visiting Time: 1 ~ 2 days

▶ Chaka Salt Lake

Highlights: incredible Mirror of the Sky in China, peaceful crystal salt lake with gorgeous reflection of sky, clouds and snow-capped mountains around; real lake train journey in the Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki.

Location: No.9, Yanhu Road, Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Tibetan Autunomous Prefecture, Qinghai; about 300 km, 4 hours’ drive from Kumbum Monastery

Ticket: 30 RMB (50 RMB per person for a one-way train ride)

Recommened Visiting Time: 0.5 ~ 1 day

▶ Tibetan Medicine & Tibet Culture Museum

Highlights: the world’s only comprehensive museum introducing different Tibetan culture; a good place for learning the history of development of Tibetan medicine, excellent pharmacists and surgical instruments painted on a 618-meter-long, 2.5-meter-wide Thangka painting.

Location: No.36, Jing’er Road, Biotechnology Industrial Park, Chengbei District, Xining, Qinghai; about 30 km, 1 hour's drive of Kumbum Monastery

Ticket: Free Admisson, 60 RMB for Exhibition Hall of the Giant Thangka

Recommended Visiting Time: 1 ~ 2 hours

▶ Dongguan Mosque

Highlights: one of the four greatest mosques in northwest China and the largest, oldest mosque in Qinghai; a distinctive Islamic architecture complex of green-colored towers, walls and halls.

Location: No. 34, Dongguan Avenue, Xining, Qinghai; about 26 km/ 30 mins’ drive from Xining Caojiabo International Airport, only 2 km, 10 minutes’ drive from Xining Railway Station, approximately 30 km, 45 minutes ~ 1 hour’s drive from Kumbum Monastery

Ticket: Free Admission

Recommended Visiting Time: 1 hour

Xining is the starting point and transfer center for a Qinghai tour. It’s suitable to spend 1 day discovering the top attractions in Xining, including the Kumbum Monastery, Dongguan Mosque, Tibetan Medicine & Tibet Culture Museum. The vast and beautiful Qinghai Lake, about 2.5 hours’ drive from Xining is the No.1 must-visit attraction. You can spend one day here appreciating the water scenery, hiking or biking along the lake or taking a Qinghai Lake cruise (cruise is only available from May to October). With one more day, you can expand trip to the Chaka Salt Lake, known as Mirror of the Sky for its stunning reflected natural landscape on the salt lake. Another day is needed. Usually, people take 3~4 days to visit the three destinations together to explore the cultural and natural highlights of Qinghai.

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