Kumbum Monastery

Ta'er Si, known in Tibetan as Kumbum, was founded in 1583 on the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school, and grew into one of the six great monasteries of that tradition, a complex of golden-roofed halls, white stupas and colleges filling a valley. It is known for three arts in particular: appliqué thangka, wall painting, and butter sculpture, in which monks work coloured yak butter in freezing rooms into elaborate figures and scenes, remade annually and displayed at the lantern festival in the first lunar month before they melt with the spring.

History

In the 1360s Tsongkhapa's mother had a small temple and stupa built on the site of his birth, and in 1560 the meditator Tsöndrü Gyeltsen founded a small retreat here. On his way to meet Altan Khan, the third Dalai Lama stopped at the holy tree marking the birthplace and asked for a larger monastery, completed in 1583 as Kumbum Jampa Ling, named for the 100,000 images said to appear on the tree's leaves and for its Maitreya temple; a debate college followed in 1612, and by the mid 20th century the monastery had some thirty temples and about a thousand houses (Wikipedia, Kumbum Monastery).

What's there

• The butter sculptures - coloured yak butter figures made fresh each year.
• The golden halls - the main temples with gilded roofs.
• The eight stupas - the white row at the entrance to the complex.
• The appliqué thangka - fabric religious images made in the workshops.

When to go

April to October for mild weather; the butter sculpture display falls at the lantern festival in the first lunar month, usually February, in bitter cold. Major festivals bring large pilgrim crowds.

Before you go

No Tibet permit is needed here. Photography inside halls is prohibited or charged. The site is close to Xining and busy with tour groups. Butter sculptures are displayed only around festival time.

Nearby

Xining lies northeast; Qinghai Lake is west.

Key facts