Admission: 10 yuan
The Puqu Lama Ling Monastery is located in Puqu Township of Nyingchi County, Nyingchi Prefecture. Also called Lama Ling Monastery, it is the biggest and most influential Tibetan Buddhist Sect. It sits at the foot of a hill and faces water. The jagged shaped peaks and verdant trees in its vicinity provide a picturesque setting for the monastery. As it is in a forest area, its design is entirely different from the sturdy earth and stone structures commonly seen in other Tibetan areas. A great amount of wood from the area was used which has given the buildings a lighter, more graceful appearance. The monastery is laid out in a square-shaped pattern. Its main hall is over 20 m tall and its interior is more than 10 m in diameter. The walls have white as a background color and are decorated with blue, green and red. The building is cleverly conceived, with a distinctive style.
Its amin hall is a three-story, eight-sided pagoda-shaped pavilion, topped with a gold roof. The four corners on the rooftop each have a stone pillar inscribed with Buddhist scriptures and decorations including figures of mythic animals. In the hall on the ground floor is a gilded bronze statue of the Nyingma Sect founder, Guru Rinpoche. Its facial expression is vivid and dignified. The hall on the second floor enshrines a statue of Guan-yin with four arms and a single face. The third floor is dedicated to Amitabha (Buddha of Boundless Light).
Tips: As this monastery lies by the highway between Bayi Town and Mainling County seat, tourists may go there by bus or take a taxi at Bayi Town, for about 20 yuan one-way.