Naidan Monastery

A Brief Introduction to Naidan Temple

Naidan Temple is located on a 200 meters high mountain in the Lei Wuqi County of Changdu prefecture of Tibet. Climate here is quite temperate with fertile earth. Mountains around the Naidan Temple are covered with lush and luxurious trees. Jiqu River flows westward here with pleasant landscapes. The temple obtained its name as Naidan Temple (also Arhat Hall) for that the Duozong Mountain on its north looks like 16 arhats.

Naidan Temple was originally built in the year of 1820 and has already a history of more than 100 years.

Attractions of Naidan Temple

Naidan Temple is composed of three parts: Shangmiao Bubian Buddha Hall, Dharmapala Hall and the Weibao Assembly Hall.

Shangmiao Bubian Buddha Hall

Shangmiao Bubian Buddha Hall is a Tibetan-style two-storey building with a flat roof. It is 7.40 meters long in the east-west and is 6.12 meters in the south-north, occupying an area of 45.3 square meters. On the wall are painted with the murals of King Kong and four heavenly kings. There are 26 Buddha shrines for Buddha in the west of the hall. The middle shrine is 1.3 meters high and 0.87 meter wide and is 0.27 meter deep. The shrines are in different sizes. Statues of Sakyamuni and the founder of Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism are enshrined in them.

Dharmapala Hall

Dharmapala Hall is situated in the east of Naidan Temple. It is also a two-storey building, supported by 9 columns. Nine statues of Dharmapala are enshrined in the hall. On the walls inside the hall are painted with murals of thousand Buddha and the Eight Bodhisattvas. The second floor is the room for monks to cultivate themselves.

Weibao Assembly Hall

Weibao Assembly Hall is behind the Dharmapala Hall. It was built by Baima Jiumei and is the main building of Naidan Temple. The Weibao Assembly Hall is 25 meters long and 11.26 meters wide, occupying an area of 281.5 square meters and supporting by 24 pillars. The gate is 3 meters high and 2.4 meters wide in the style of a screen. In the west of the hall, there are also 26 Buddha shrines. The middle one is 1.56 meters high, 1.13 meters wide and 0.82 meter deep with the statue of Sakyamuni enshrined in it. There are more than 50 ancient thangka in the Weibao Assembly Hall which are quite precious. The unique artistic characteristics of Naidan Temple provide valuable historical data for studying the development of Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism.