Lama Temple

Lonely Planet review

With three richly worked archways and five main halls (each one taller than the preceding one), revolving prayer wheels, multi-coloured glaze tiles, magnificent Chinese lions, tantric statuettes and hall boards decorated with Mongolian, Manchu, Tibetan and Chinese, the Lama Temple is Běijīng's most magnificent Buddhist temple.

The Wanfu Pavilion (Wànfú Gé), has a stupendous 18m-high statue of the Maitreya Buddha in his Tibetan form, clothed in yellow satin and reputedly sculpted from a single block of sandalwood. Each of the Bodhisattva's toes is the size of a pillow. You may find yourself transported to Tibet, where the wood for this statue originated, thanks to the smoke curling up from yak butter lamps.

An enthralling conclusion to the temple is the collection of bronze Tibetan Buddhist statues within the Jiètái Lo'u. Most effigies date from the Qing dynasty, from languorous renditions of Green Tara and White Tara to exotic, tantric pieces (such as Samvara) and figurines of the fierce-looking Mahakala.

Photography is not permitted inside the temple buildings but a mini Lama Temple VCD comes free with your ticket. English-speaking guides can be found in the office to the left of the entrance gate or loitering near the temple entrance.