Beijing - The Lama Temple 09

Lama Temple (Yonghegong) - this old palace was built in 1694. It is the largest Buddhist temple in China. The Qing emperors housed high-ranking Lamas here from 1732 until 1911. Unscathed by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution it started to function as a monastery again in the 1980's. Its five courtyards and series of halls devoted to tantric gods are now tended by over 100 monks. There is also an 85 ft reclining Buddha (Maitreya) carved out of a single trunk of sandalwood.