The Falun Hall is one of the largest halls in the Lama Temple. It used to be the place where grand rites and ceremonies were held, and where the monks chanted sutras. The architectural style of the hall represents a perfect combination of Han Culture and Tibetan Culture. The plane of the hall has a shape of cross. On the roof of it, there are 5 Tibetan golden pagodas. A huge lotus-shaped seat is placed at the centre of the hall, upon which sits a 6.1 meters high coppery statue of master Tsongkhapa, who was the founder of Shamanism, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism. He greets the tourists with his gracious smile. Built in 1924, it took 2 years for the skilled craftsmen to finish the statue, costing for more than 200 thousand silver dollars in total. Behind the statue, there is an wood carving, 500-Buddhist-arhats hill. The narra hill-like wood carving is about 5 meters wide, 3.5 meters long, and 0.3 meters thick. On the hill, you can see vivid arhats made of gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin. Each of them is only 0.1 meters high, dotted among the wooden hill. The exquisite 500-Buddhist-arhats hill is one of the three treasures in the Lama Temple. In front of master TsongKhapa’s statue, there is a basin made of Jinsi Nanmu (a valuable timber). It is said that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty bathed in the basin three days after he was born.
Besides the statue and the wood carvings, the hall is also famous for the colorful drawings on the wall and the Buddhist scriptures stored inside. On the eastern and western walls, there are elegant frescos telling interesting stories about master Sakyamuni. It shows that how he was born form his mother’s armpit, how he acquired profound knowledges, and how he became a buddha eventually. Famous Buddhist scriptures, for example, the Tripitaka, are stored on the shelves in front of the eastern and western walls. The Falun Hall is filled with Buddhist relics and treasures, you would gain a better understanding of Buddhism if you visit there.
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