Life and Legends under the Miaoying Temple

Having survived the Cultural Revolution, the White Dagoba, which was designed by the Nepali architect Arniko, is the oldest and largest Tibetan Buddhist shrine in China and perhaps the last remaining building of the Yuan Dynasty in Beijing today.

Built during the Yuan Dynasty, the Miaoying Temple is commonly known as the White Dagoba Temple. In 1271, Arniko, a master craftsman from Nepal, was the key architect in the construction of the White Daboga which became one of the most important projects under Kublai Khan’s rule. The Temple is tucked inside Fuchengmen Inner Street, Xicheng District in Beijing and was once named Dashengshou Wan’an Temple (大圣寿万安寺) and was later renamed in the Ming Dynasty to the name we know today. The once-functioning Gelug monastery is now a museum for the public with an entrance fee of 20 RMB and free for Nepali citizens.