Kumbum

Kumbum Monastery, also known as Ta'er Monastery, is a prominent Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelug school in Qinghai province, China. It lies near Xining in the Amdo region and is traditionally counted among the six great Gelug monasteries. The name Kumbum, often rendered as “100,000 Buddhas,” refers to the monastery’s central Kumbum Stupa and the numerous Buddha images housed within the complex.

History and context: A religious site existed on the Ta’er hillside long before the modern complex; the present monastery developed during the late medieval period and reached its greatest extent under Qing dynasty patronage. It became a major center for Gelug learning and monastic life, attracting renown lamas from across Amdo and beyond.

Architecture and collections: The heart of the complex is the Kumbum Stupa, a tall white monument surrounded by a network of chapels, prayer halls and reliquaries. The site comprises hundreds of temples, with extensive murals, statues and scriptures illustrating Gelug doctrine and Amdo Tibetan artistry.

Religion and culture: Kumbum functions as a living monastery with thousands of monks and lay followers. It hosts annual pilgrimages and rites, and has long served as a repository of ritual art and scholastic study in the region.

Modern era: The monastery suffered damage during the Cultural Revolution but was gradually restored from the late 1970s onward. Today it remains an active religious center and a major cultural and tourist destination near Xining.