Milarepa Palace (Hezuo)
安多合作米拉日巴佛阁
A nine-story Tibetan-style tower in Hezuo, with each floor housing statues from different Buddhist schools and murals of Milarepa's life. It is a one-of-a-kind “Thousand Buddha Tower” in the Amdo Tibetan region.
Milarepa Palace (Hezuo) stands in the north of Hezuo, the seat of Gannan Prefecture. Its full name is “Amdo Hezuo Milarepa Palace.” It was built to honor Milarepa, the ascetic poet and founding master of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The original structure dates to 1777. The current nine-story tower was rebuilt after 1988, stands about 40 meters tall, and is the only pagoda-style Buddhist hall in the Amdo region. The exterior follows the style of Tibetan watchtowers, with red and white walls, golden roofs, and upturned eaves. Inside, the nine floors enshrine more than a thousand statues of masters from the Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya schools, along with Milarepa, Padmasambhava, and Tsongkhapa. The walls are painted with scenes from Milarepa's life. The ground-floor hall is high and dim, with butter lamps burning constantly. From the top floor, you can look out over Hezuo and the valleys beyond. Admission is about 20 yuan. Photography is not allowed inside. Visitors move clockwise, floor by floor, which takes about an hour. Pilgrims walk the kora path around the palace and turn prayer wheels, and a Tibetan restaurant sits beside the square. Hezuo sits at about 2,900 meters and is a hub on the Gannan loop. Most travelers stop for a meal or a night's stay and visit on the way. It is also the first major monastery many reach after entering Gannan from Lanzhou. Getting there: a taxi within town takes about 10 minutes. The expressway from Lanzhou to Hezuo takes about 3 hours. Shuttle buses run from Hezuo to Xiahe, Langmusi, and Diebu. Note: The stairs are steep and narrow, so older visitors should take care. Please keep noise to a minimum around the palace.
Opening hours
08:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Museum
- Dangzhou Grassland
- Meiren Grassland
- Dazong Lake
- Labrang Prayer Wheel Circuit
- Gongtang Stupa
- Labrang Monastery
- Sangke Grassland