The Yellow Temple
S Z ERŲ few of Peking's art treasures can compare in beauty with the
e fascinating marble stupa that lifts its golden crown above the surrounding
pavilions of the Yellow Temple. From its wave-patterned base to the top of its gilded dome, the sculpture and workmanship are exquisite. Our photograph shows a close-up view of the carving on one of the eight
panels which decorate the sides of the monument. Unfortunately, after the siege of Peking in 1900, French soldiers were quartered here, and they are said to have amused themselves by knocking off the heads of the marble figures with the butts of their rifles. Enough remains, however, to show the delicate detail of the work. While this marble cenotaph is the chief glory of the temple, yet there are many other interesting sights within the walls of this old Lama monastery.
The temple grounds are divided into two separate parts - an eastern and a western section. These, although close together, are in charge of two different sects of Lamas. The eastern section, with its huge temples crowned by glistening roofs of yellow tile, is dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha, and, on the whole, is in a much better state of preservation than the western half: but "both suffer sadly through lack of Imperial subsidies."
The temples of the eastern section were built by Emperor Shun Chih on the ruins of an ancient Liao Temple in about the year 1652, for the accommodation of the Dalai Lama on his occasional visits to Peking. The Princely palaces of the western section were erected by K'ang Hsi in the year 1720. Legend has it that the emperor had a particular reason for enlarging and embellishing the temples of these powerful Lama pontiffs, for at one time during his travels in Mongolia he unfortunately caused the death of a Living Buddha. Ever after this unhappy event the emperor spent large sums in beautifying the Huang Ssă Monastery.
The lofty palace, where the Dalai Lamas were formerly entertained, with its gilded halls and richly appointed chapels, is now closed to the general public, being reserved by the Lamas for the" Living Buddha of Peking." Minchur Gheghen. It was the privilege of the author to meet this Mongol saint during one of the yearly “Devil Dances," and to witness the adoration bestowed upon him. It was a picturesque sight to see him enter the sacred precincts of the temple, and pass between two long rows of yellow-clad monks to his gilded throne on the lofty terrace Here, surrounded by hundreds of Mongol monks and thousands of devotees, he, the incarnate Living Buddha, led out in the weird service, and accepted the worship of the assembled multitudes.
Closely related to the Huang Ssů, is the Yung Ho Kung, another Lama temple located near the north wall of the Tartar City. For a description of Lama worship, and the Yung Ho Kung see pages 84, 74, 140, and 154,
