Small golden tiled hall
The Small Golden Tiled Hall was built in the 31th year under the reign of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1692), covering an area of 1,127m2. Its roof was rebuilt with gold-plating steel tiles in the 14th year under the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1809), so it was called Small Golden Tiled Hall since then. The hall is a separate quadrangle courtyard in Han style with the main hall facing to the south. It is a two-story Tibetan building with multiple eaves and flat roof. The roof is covered with gold-plating steel tiles and decorated with golden deer, dharma wheel, precious vases and other ornaments. The statues of Tenzin Dhammapala, Career Dhammapala and five Longevity Sisters are all enshrined in the hall. On its both sides stands a two-story ambulatory. The upper storey is used to display the specimen of animals like cattle, sheep, bear, leopard and monkey, which means driving out evils and protecting the proper dharma; while the lower storey is decorated with frescos for the story of Dharmapala punishing evils, showing the supreme majesty of Buddha dharma over the evils. Therefore, the Small Golden Tiled Hall is also known as Dharmapala Hall, where is the place for Buddhist performing, execration, demon exorcizing and praying for peace. |