Kumbum (Ta'er) Monastery
塔尔寺
The birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school, and one of the Six Great Monasteries. Its butter sculptures, murals and cloisonné appliqué—the "Three Wonders of Art"—and eight white stupas are must-sees in Xining.
Kumbum (Ta'er) Monastery lies in Lusar Town, Huangzhong District, about 25 kilometers from Xining's city center. Known in Tibetan as Kunbum Chenbalin, it is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1379 and, together with Ganden, Drepung, Sera, Tashilhunpo and Labrang monasteries, forms the Six Great Monasteries of the Gelug school. The monastery is built into the hillside and consists of dozens of halls, including the Great Golden Roof Hall, the Lesser Golden Roof Hall, the Great Assembly Hall, the Nine-Room Hall and the Butter Sculpture Hall.
Highlights include the Eight Auspicious Stupas at the entrance, eight white stupas that mark the monastery; the Great Golden Roof Hall, with its silver stupa and bodhi tree at the site of Tsongkhapa's birth; the Great Assembly Hall, which can seat a thousand monks for chanting and has spectacular carpets and appliqué; the Butter Sculpture Hall, where Buddha figures and scenes are sculpted from colored butter and renewed each year on the 15th day of the first lunar month; and the "Three Wonders" of butter sculpture, murals and cloisonné appliqué. Admission is 70 yuan in peak season and about 40 yuan off-season. Guides can be rented at the gate, and a guided tour helps you understand the monastery. Most visitors follow a clockwise route through the halls, which takes 2 to 3 hours.
Getting there: from Xining, take a tourist shuttle or bus to Ta'er Monastery (about 1 hour), or take a taxi for about 60 to 80 yuan. You can also join a half-day Kumbum tour. Note that photography is not allowed inside the halls. Remove your hat when entering the halls, and do not touch the Buddha statues or scriptures. Devotees perform full-body prostrations within the monastery, so please do not crowd around or photograph them. During the first-month Buddhist festival, crowds are huge, so arrive early.
Opening hours
8:00 am–5:30 pm (extended to 6:00 pm in peak season)
Nearby sights
- Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wild Zoo
- Nanshan Park & Puning Pearl Tower
- Qinghai Provincial Museum
- Nanchan Temple, Xining
- Mojia Street & Shuijing Lane
- Dongguan Great Mosque
- Beichan Temple (Tulou Taoist Temple)
- China Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum