Photo adjustments
Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Explore the region
About Dazhao Temple
Its main hall combines Chinese and Tibetan building forms and preserves a celebrated silver image of Shakyamuni. Golden dragons coil around the columns in front of the image, while surviving murals provide a more detailed view of Buddhist figures and narrative painting. Begin with the courtyard arrangement before entering the halls: the sequence from gateway to shrine helps explain how this sixteenth-century foundation became a centre of the surrounding city.
Dazhao's Mongolian name, Ike Juu, means 'great temple', from a Tibetan word for monastery; it was originally named Hongci Temple (弘慈寺) and later Wuliang Temple (无量寺), and is also called the Silver Buddha Temple after its statue. Construction began in 1579 after the Tumed Mongol leader Altan Khan met the third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, at Qinghai Lake in 1578 and pledged to build a temple; Nepalese craftsmen cast the silver Shakyamuni statue from about 3,000 jin of pure silver. The temple was completed in 1580, becoming the highest-ranking temple in the Mongol region at the time, and the third Dalai Lama consecrated the statue in 1586.
Ligdan Khan of the Chahar Mongols captured the temple in 1627, and it was spared when Hong Taiji's forces burned Guihua (the later Hohhot) in 1632. Tumed officials enlarged it in 1640, after which Hong Taiji granted the name Wuliang Temple; in 1652 the fifth Dalai Lama stayed there en route to Beijing, and a bronze statue of him remains enshrined in the temple. In 1697 its roof was permitted to be covered with yellow tiles.
What to look for
- The silver Shakyamuni image and paired dragon-covered columns in the main hall.
- The surviving Buddhist murals and the combination of Tibetan and Chinese hall architecture.
The surrounding area
Autonomous-region capital and urban base for temple streets, museums and local breakfast traditions.
Location & getting there
Getting to Dazhao Temple
Enter from Dazhao Qianjie in Hohhot's Yuquan District, beside the old-city square and Saishang Old Street.
- Follow the temple's current photography and worship-area rules around the silver image and murals.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
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Entrance and main courtyard
Read the axial arrangement of the temple.
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Main hall
Concentrate on the silver image, dragons and accessible murals.
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Saishang Old Street塞上老街
Continue immediately west to the trading street that grew beside the temple.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Dazhao Temple
大召寺 · 呼和浩特
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Saishang Old Street 塞上老街
Less than 1 km awaySaishang Old Street runs west from Dazhao through Hohhot's historic trading quarter. Brick-and-timber shopfronts recall the period when goods from the grasslands met tea, silk and other products from farther south. Today's shops…
View guide →Xilitu Temple 席力图召
Less than 1 km awayXilitu Temple stands among Hohhot's old-city monasteries but has its own sequence of shrines and landmarks. The older Buddha hall preserves the memory of its early foundation, while the larger main hall reflects later expansion…
View guide →Five Pagoda Temple 五塔寺
Less than 1 km awayFive Pagoda Temple takes its name from the five small towers rising from a single diamond-throne base. Rows of individually varied Buddha images cover the masonry, making close observation as rewarding as the overall silhouette…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93942459.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "大召", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93942459.