Princess Wencheng Temple

The Princess Wencheng Temple sits in a cliff face 20 kilometres south of Yushu, carved into a rock outcrop above a narrow river valley. It commemorates the Tang dynasty princess who travelled through this region in 641 AD on her way to Tibet to marry the king Songtsen Gampo — a diplomatic marriage that helped cement relations between China and Tibet for generations. The temple is said to mark the spot where she rested longest on the journey.

The inner chapel contains an ancient rock carving of Vairocana Buddha, considered one of the oldest surviving Buddhist images in the region. The monks at the temple reportedly speak some English and are willing to explain the site's history. The drive from Yushu through the river valley is scenic; hire a vehicle for around 80 yuan return. The site is open daily; admission is around 30 yuan.

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A story
The central image inside this cliff-carved temple — a rock carving of Vairocana Buddha — is said to be self-arising: not carved by human hands but naturally occurring in the rock face, discovered and enclosed by the temple structure built around it. The carving dates to at least the 8th century, though the temple attributes its origins to Princess Wencheng's passage through in 641 AD. Whether or not the princess actually stopped here, the place has functioned as a sacred site for well over a thousand years.

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