Maitreya Buddha, Yonghe Temple, Beijing

Maitreya Buddha, Yonghe Temple, Beijing

The Yonghe Temple, informally known as "Lama Temple" is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple is a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

Yonghe Temple (Yonghe Lamasery) is the largest and best-preserved lamasery in Beijing. It was built in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as the residence of the Emperor Yongzheng (the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty) before he ascended the throne. In the year 1744, the residence was completely converted into a lamasery. So this architectural complex is endowed with the style of an imperial palace, making it distinctive from others. The Qianlong Emperor, Yongzheng's successor, gave the temple imperial status

"The Pavilion of Infinite Happiness", the last main hall, is the tallest hall of this temple. It is a three-storey building, accompanied by two smaller pavilions. In the main hall, a 26 m tall, 8 m wide statue of Maitreya Budda (seen in this picture) is positioned which the seventh Dalai Lama presented to the Emperor Qianlong, the son of Emperor Yongzheng. The statue, carved from a sandal tree is 26 meters (85 feet) in height and eight meters (26 feet) in diameter, with eight meters (26 feet) buried under the ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonghe_Temple