Kumbum Monastery (Ta'er Si)

Kumbum Monastery (Tibetan: Kumbum Jampa Ling; Chinese: Ta'er Si) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school and the most significant Buddhist site in the Amdo region of historical Tibet. Founded in 1583, it now covers several dozen hectares of terraced hillside and houses around 600 monks. The complex is simultaneously a living monastery, a UNESCO tentative World Heritage Site, and a major Chinese domestic tourist destination — all three identities coexist with occasional friction.

The Hall of Butter Sculptures is the monastery's most singular attraction. Each winter, teams of monks spend weeks creating elaborate three-dimensional tableaux from yak butter mixed with mineral pigments — scenes from Buddhist mythology, landscapes, animals — some reaching several metres in height. The sculptures are displayed during the Butter Festival (Youhua Festival) in the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar (February or March), then dismantled. The process is considered a form of meditation. Photographs of the sculptures show extraordinary craftsmanship; seeing them in person, in the cold light of an early morning, is something else entirely.

The Hall of Great Prayers (Daijingtan) holds the monastery's most sacred relics, including a golden stupa said to contain hair of Tsongkhapa. The surrounding hills carry various smaller chapels and hermitages. Four major Summons Ceremonies (Dhunchen) take place through the year — the first and fourth month ones are the largest, with philosophical debates, public display of giant thangkas, and all-night chanting. The entrance fee is 80 yuan; arrive early on weekdays to avoid tour groups.

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A story
Tsongkhapa, the 14th-century founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism — the school of the Dalai Lamas — was born in a small village here in 1357. According to tradition, drops of his blood fell to the ground at birth and a sandalwood tree grew where each drop landed, its leaves bearing the image of a deity. The first stupa was built to commemorate these sacred trees; the monastery that grew around it has since shaped Tibetan Buddhism's theological development for six centuries. The current Dalai Lama was identified here as a child, based partly on his ability to recognise objects that had belonged to the previous Dalai Lama.