Sumtseling Monestery, also known as Gadan Songzanlin Temple or Guihua Temple, is a large Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province and the center of Gelugpa (Yellow Sect) in the Sichuan Yunnan region. The temple was built in 1679 AD and built close to the mountain. It is similar to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Because of its grand scale, it has the reputation of "Little Potala Palace".
Songzanlin Temple faces north and south, with an oval shaped city wall built around it. The two main halls of Zhacang and Jikang are located on the high ground in the center of the temple. The main hall is a five storey Tibetan building with carved beams and painted rafters. The top is gilded copper with golden roof, which is resplendent. The Zhacang Hall is a place for monks to study classics and study doctrines, while the back hall houses bronze Buddha statues of Tsongkhapa and Maitreya Buddha. In the center of the Jikang Hall, there is a Buddha statue of the founder of the Gelug sect, Master Tsongkhapa. The four walls are painted with murals of the Eight Great Medicine Buddha, which can be called exquisite. Surrounding the two main halls, buildings such as the Eight Great Kangshen and monk's quarters are clustered together, arranged in a staggered manner, making the two halls even more towering and majestic.
Songzanlin Temple not only has exquisite architecture, but also houses numerous religious artifacts and precious cultural relics. Among them, there are eight gold-plated Shakyamuni Buddha statues, the Beiye Sutra, colorful gold juice painted thangka, golden lanterns, and ten volumes of the "Danzhuer" scripture, two of which are handwritten in gold juice and extremely precious. However, many treasures are not easily displayed to people on a regular basis. On the third floor of the Zhacang Hall, there is a picture of a living Buddha's scripture room hanging outside, which reads "The sun and moon shine together on Meili Snow Mountain". It was taken by a photographer in the 1980s and is very precious and unique. If you are interested, you can pay attention to it.
Although Songzanlin Temple covers a large area, the sightseeing route is relatively simple. After entering the temple gate, there is a steep slope with 146 steps. After climbing up, you will arrive at the square in front of the main hall. Standing here, you can have a distant view of Shangri La County. However, at an altitude of over 3000 meters in Shangri La, it is still necessary to control this intense exercise and it is recommended to walk slowly.
November 26th to 29th in the Tibetan calendar is the annual Gedong Festival in the Shangri La region. This is not only a grand ceremony for the gods and protectors of Tibetan Buddhism to appear on earth, but also a gathering for Tibetan people to visit Buddha, celebrate high yields, and pray for happiness and auspiciousness in the coming year. On this day, Songzanlin Temple will hold a grand god jumping event, and the Tibetan people around will gather in the temple, creating a lively scene.
Travel Tips
Address: Near Niwang Road, Shangri La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Telephone: 0887-8229411
Opening hours: 07:30-19:00
Admission ticket : CNY 115