The Lama Temple, locally known as the Yonghe Lamasery, is located in the north eastern part of Beijing. The Chinese name of the Lama Temple means Palace of Peace and Harmony. This temple belongs to the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism. Among all the Lama temples of China, this one at Beijing has been preserved perfectly, till date.

The Yonghe Lamasery or the Lama Temple had been built during the early years of the reign of Qing Dynasty. It had been established in 1694 as the residence of the young emperor Yongzheng. In 1735, after the death of emperor Yongzheng, his coffin was buried within this palace. Emperor Qianglong, who succeeded Yongzheng transformed this palace into an imperial palace by replacing its turquoise tiles with yellow tiles. Finally in 1774, the palace was transformed into a Lamasery. Due to this step taken by the Qing rulers, the Lama Temple or the Yonghe Lamasery became the national center of Lama administration. Several Lamas from countries like Mongolia and Tibet made the Yonghe Lamasery their permanent residence.

The Lama Temple at Beijing is characterized by five large halls, each of which has an adjacent courtyard. The exquisitely carved entrance gates and archways with upturned corners of roofs, which are characteristic of ancient Chinese architecture, can be found at each entrance. The main entrance is now termed as Devaraja Hall, as it houses the statues of four great rulers of the Qing Dynasty. The Lama Temple in Beijing is a treasure house of the Tibetan and Chinese version of Buddhist art and contains carved images of the Buddha, Gods, Demons and several Tibetan murals.

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