Meidaizhao Monastery

Meidaizhao Monastery or Meidaizhao Lamasery is a Tibetan Buddhist temple located in Tumed Right Banner, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China.

Name
"Zhao" means "monastery" in Tibetan language.

History
After the fall of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), the Mongols retreated to the north, historically known as "Northern Yuan dynasty" (1368–1635).

During the Longqing period (1567–1573) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Altan Khan, the leader of a Mongolian tribe named Tümed, was canonized as "King of Shunyi" by the central government of the Ming Empire, and then he started to build monastery towns on mountains belonging to the Tümed. In 1575, the first monastery was completed, which was called "Shouling Monastery" in the early Qing dynasty (1644–1911) and later was granted a name of "Fuhua Town"  by the government.

In 1606, Erketü Qatun invited a Tibetan living Buddha named Maitreya Khutukhtu to come to the prairie to preach, and he also presided over Buddhist activities in Shouling Monastery. To commemorate Maitreya Khutukhtu's achievements, the local people changed its name to "Maitreya Monastery" or "Meidaizhao Monastery".

During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), a hall was demolished by the Red Guards and the monastery was used as a granary.

In 1996, it was listed among the fourth group of "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Inner Mongolia" by the State Council of China.

Architecture


Meidaizhao Monastery is a grand temple complex integrating monasteries, mansions and towns. It is a combination of Tibetan, Mongolian and Han Chinese architectural style. The extant buildings include the Taihe Tower, Mahavira Hall, Liuli Hall , Naiqiong Monastery , Taihou Monastery , Dailai Monastery , Caishen Monastery , etc.

Ancient Wall
The ancient wall is 681 m long and about 4 m high.

Taihe Tower
The Taihe Tower is a triple eaves gable and hip roof building. It was first built in 1606 and rebuilt in 1985. In the center of the eaves of the hall is a plaque, on which there are the words "".

Mahavira Hall
The Mahavira Hall is situated in the north of the Taihe Tower with double eaves gable and hip roof. It is 43.7 m deep and 23.2 m wide. On the walls are paintings with stories of Sakyamuni's becoming Buddha, which are bright in color, fluent in lines and with the style of Tibetan frescos.

Taihou Monastery
The Taihou Monastery is situated in the northeast of the Mahavira Hall with double eaves gable and hip roof. The monastery enshrines a sandalwood pagoda that preserves the ashes of Erketü Qatun, the Empress Dowager of Tümed.