Bandida Gegeen Monastery

CHINA, Inner Mongolia, Xilingol

The temple is also known as Beizi Miao Temple or the Great Temple. The temple was constructed in 1743 during the Qing dynasty. It was expanded in 1783, with a large-scale central hall. The Thousand Buddha Hall was built in 1800 and Philosophy Hall in 1802. Initially, Philosophy Hall was rather small but seven halls were subsequently added in the back courtyard. The temple was once the political, economic, cultural, and religious center in the north of Inner Mongolia. It was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2006.
The temple complex lies on an east to west axis and consists of three compounds. In the west compound there is the Thousand Buddha Hall, in the central compound the central hall, and in the east compound the Philosophy Hall. Further east there are Zhuduba Hall, Manba Hall, and Dingke’er Hall.
Each compound is surrounded by a wall. In front of the gate of each compound, there is a screen wall and a courtyard. The buildings have porticos and hip-and-gable roofs. The main ridges are adorned with traditional Tibetan decorations, such as golden ornaments, sutra pillars, or Dharma wheels. The halls house sculptures, murals, artifacts, and Buddhist scriptures.