Jiegu Temple is located on the northern slope of Mount Jieguduo in Yushu City, at an altitude of 3,700 meters, and belongs to the Sakya school. Its history includes earlier religious affiliations. In Yushu, a documentary memorial, the Gesar King sculpture, and a viewing platform overlooking Yushu and its reconstruction add further points of interest. Each place has a different focus: religious development, earthquake relief, an epic, and views of the city. When planning your visit, it helps to keep these thematic differences in mind.
Religious history at Jiegu Temple
The temple was initially a Bon temple, later became a temple of the Kagyu school, and in 1389 was converted to the Sakya tradition by the Sakya master Dangqinwa Jiagaxi Ranjian Co. Today, it belongs to the Sakya school. This sequence distinguishes its earlier history from its current religious affiliation. The year 1389 marks the change to the Sakya tradition, not the beginning of the temple’s history. This allows visitors to consider both Jiegu Temple’s current affiliation and its preceding phases.
A temple nearby
The Wencheng Princess Temple, also known as the Dairi-Rulai Buddha Hall, is located in Benagou, 20 kilometers south of Yushu City. It is more than 1,300 years old. Both names refer to the same temple. Its location sets it apart geographically from Jiegu Temple in Yushu City: it is nearby, to the south of the city. The Wencheng Princess Temple can therefore be considered a distinct nearby site, without mistaking it for a temple within Yushu City.
Earthquake remembrance and documentation
The Yushu Earthquake Memorial Hall is a documentary exhibition center. It comprehensively documents the difficult relief and rescue efforts following earthquakes in high-altitude regions. Its focus is therefore different from that of Jiegu Temple: here, the emphasis is on relief and rescue efforts, not the succession of religious traditions. Visitors interested in documentation of such operations can find a distinct perspective on the history of earthquakes in high-altitude areas at the Memorial Hall.
The complex includes earthquake ruins, the memorial museum itself, and Gratitude Square. The site therefore comprises more than just the memorial museum. When considering the Hall, you can distinguish its documentary focus from the three components of the complex: one describes what the exhibition is about; the others name what the site consists of.
Epic and views of reconstruction
The Gesar King sculpture depicts the protagonist of the epic “The Gesar Kings.” The focus here is therefore a figure from an epic, rather than the religious history of Jiegu Temple or the documentation at the Memorial Hall. The sculpture adds its own cultural dimension to Yushu, with the figure from the Gesar epic as its point of reference.
The viewing platform on Mount Dandang offers a vantage point over Yushu and the reconstruction following the earthquake. Its perspective differs from the documentary focus of the Memorial Hall. While the Hall documents relief and rescue efforts following earthquakes in high-altitude regions, the platform looks out over Yushu and its reconstruction. Different aspects are thus presented side by side: documentation of relief and rescue, and a view of the city’s reconstruction.
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