Xilamulun Monastery (Grand Monastery)

Xilamulun Monastery, also known as the Grand Monastery, stands 62 kilometers northwest of Wulanhua Town at the seat of Hongger Sum. It is the largest Lamaist temple in the entire banner. Boasting an exquisitely well-planned architectural complex that stretches roughly 2 kilometers from east to west and 1 kilometer from north to south, it forms a grand sacred Buddhist site north of the Great Wall. First built in the 23rd year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1758 AD), it has a history of more than 240 years. The monastery wielded far-reaching influence across Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Xizang and surrounding regions, ranking among the largest Lamaist shrines in western Inner Mongolia. It bears the Mongolian epithet "Engri Mingga", meaning "the temple with a thousand lamas on the sunlit mountain slope".

Xilamulun Monastery was founded by Danbalabji, a noble native of this banner. The entire temple compound covers approximately 1 square kilometer. All structures adopt the Xizang-style stone-and-timber framework, magnificent and imposing, nestled amid mountains and rivers with pleasant scenery. The monastery complex includes five dukhangs (halls for lamas to recite scriptures), four labrangs (Tibetan term for living quarters of living Buddhas), four temple treasuries for storing and managing assets, plus over 360 residential chambers for lamas.

The five dukhangs are: Saihulseng Dukhang (Divine Hall), Chogchin Dukhang (Hall for grand scripture-reciting ceremonies), Chodrup Dukhang, Chöyi Dukhang (Hall for Buddhist philosophical debates), and Naden Dukhang. Among them, Chogchin Dukhang is the largest, covering around 1,500 square meters. The four labrangs are: Gegen Labrang, Barun Labrang, Hanshri Labrang and Jun Labrang. The four treasuries are: Ikhji Monastery Treasury, Chöyi Treasury, Chodrup Treasury and Kanjur Treasury.

Every dukhang is furnished with carpets, pillar drapes, wall hangings and murals, alongside numerous offering tables carved from premium timber and countless butter lamps for worship.

Xilamulun Monastery is the biggest Lamaist temple under the jurisdiction of Ulanqab City. At its prosperous peak, it housed nearly 1,500 resident lamas. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, religious personnel from the United States, Japan and other countries held Buddhist rituals here repeatedly, making it a time-honored grassland temple renowned at home and abroad. Each summer and autumn, an endless stream of pilgrims and sightseers come to burn incense, pay homage to Buddha and tour the grounds.

Climb the northern hill, and visitors can see battle sites, bunkers and bullet scars left over from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Travel 4 kilometers further northwest to behold the grand ruins of the Golden Great Wall. One kilometer southwest, on the hillside west of the Xilamulun River, lie the relics of the Shajing Administrative Prefecture, a thriving government seat dating back to the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Roughly 5 kilometers south, the natural scenery of Odechi Valley unfolds.

According to local legend, one dawn, the lama tasked with selecting the temple site walked to the banks of the Xilamulun River. He witnessed a woman accidentally spill a full bucket of fresh milk onto the grassland. Under sunlight, crystal white beads hung on every blade of green grass, shimmering with dazzling, beautiful radiance. The lama instantly realized this was an auspicious omen of a sacred land fit for constructing a monastery.

Three herdsman families living nearby voluntarily yielded their grazing lands upon hearing plans to build the temple here. After the first dukhang was completed, the temple was named after the three families: Jiangbula, Ruoxi and Banrubu, hence its original full name Jiangbula Ruoxi Banrubu Monastery. Later it received a Tibetan formal name, Noxipandiling. As the temple stood beside the Xilamulun River, it came to be widely called Xilamulun Monastery, or simply the Grand Monastery, a moniker referencing its immense scale. The Jiaqing Emperor of the Qing Dynasty bestowed upon it another official title: Gongningling