Wuta Temple

Lonely Planet review

The highly distinctive Indian-styled Wuta Temple (Five Pagoda Temple) is topped by its five magnificent namesake pagodas. The exterior of the main hall is decorated with a tangle of dorjes (Tibetan sceptres), hundreds of images of Buddha and legions of beasts, amid traces of red pigment that can still be discerned.

Known also as Zhenjue Temple (真觉寺; Zhēnjué Sì), during Ming times, the temple ranged to at least six halls, all later tiled in yellow during Qing times; the terrace where the Big Treasure Hall once stood can still be seen. The temple, dating from 1473 and easily reached by crossing the canal bridge directly opposite the rear exit of Beijing Zoo, also houses the Carved Stone Museum (Shíkē Bówùguǎn), with clusters of stone stelae, statues and bìxì - mythical tortoise-like reptiles often seen in Confucian temples.