Gutham Temple, an ancient Tibetan Buddhist temple on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Gutham Temple, located in Gutham Township, south of Ledu County, Haidong Region, Qinghai Province, is a Tibetan Buddhist temple with an official palace architectural style, known as the "Little Forbidden City". According to historical books and inscriptions, this temple was built under the background of the Ming Dynasty supporting Tibetan Buddhism to rule Tibet. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1399), Zhu Yuanzhang strengthened the affiliation between the Ming Dynasty and the upper leaders of Qinghai by granting the title "Gutham", with the words "Established in the 26th year of Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty" on the right. The Hongxi and Xuande periods of the Ming Dynasty expanded it successively. The temple covers an area of 27,000 square meters, with the main halls such as the Vajra Hall, Gutham Hall, Baoguang Hall, and Longguo Hall arranged in order from the mountain gate. The stele pavilion, mural gallery, bell and drum tower and other buildings on both sides form a large-scale architectural complex. Entering the mountain gate, the first thing that comes into view is the Vajra Hall, which is the front yard of the temple. Going up the stone steps, you come to the middle courtyard, where you can see the Gutham Hall and Baoguang Hall. Gutham Hall is one of the main halls of the temple, where the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and the Eighteen Arhats are enshrined. It is an important place for believers to come and worship. The Baoguang Hall enshrines the statues of Amitayus Buddha and Medicine Buddha, and is the center of the Medicine Buddha faith in the temple. Through the middle courtyard, the back is the backyard, where buildings such as the Longguo Hall are distributed. The Longguo Hall is the largest building in the temple, about 30 meters high and covering an area of 912 square meters. It is a place for holding Dharma meetings and gatherings. The carvings of the Sumeru seat and the scenery seat in the Longguo Hall are very exquisite, among which the more than two meters high elephant drum stone seat (commonly known as the elephant back drum) is the most prominent. In addition, the murals in the Longguo Hall are also one of the precious artworks in the temple. On the east and west sides of the temple are the large and small bell towers and drum towers. The large and small bell towers and drum towers are connected by a semi-open mural gallery, forming a mural gallery that is several kilometers long. The gallery has more than 50 rooms, 28 of which are full of large color murals, with a total area of more than 360 square meters. These murals are rich in content, with various themes such as Buddhist legends, Buddha statues, and pagodas. They are exquisite in painting skills, bright in color, vivid and lifelike, and very precious. In addition to the murals, there are many precious cultural relics in the temple. The most famous is the bronze bell cast during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. This bronze bell is 2.5 meters high, 1.5 meters in diameter, and weighs more than 10,000 catties. It is known as the "Ten Thousand Catties Bronze Bell". The casting process of the bronze bell is very exquisite, with auspicious patterns and sutras carved on the bell body, and the sound is loud and melodious. In addition, there are many other Buddhist artworks and cultural relics in the temple, such as Ming Dynasty wooden Buddha statues, Qing Dynasty porcelain, etc. These cultural relics and artworks show the historical and cultural heritage of Gutham Temple and are important materials for studying Chinese Buddhist culture and art. In summary, Gutham Temple is an ancient temple with a profound historical and cultural heritage, famous for its large-scale architectural complex, precious artworks and cultural relics, and beautiful natural scenery. It is one of the important representatives of Chinese Buddhist culture and art, and a tourist attraction worth visiting.