27 Aug 2026 - NKG Day 7: Thousand Buddhas Hall (千佛殿)

After we were done admiring the Zen Grand View in the massive atrium of Foding Palace, we continued to explore deeper into the palace.

Before the descent, we had to put on the shoe covers provided on-site.

We then took a long, deep-pit escalators further into the absolute heart of the palace.

The moment we entered the Thousand Buddhas Hall (千佛殿), we were in complete awe. Also known as The Great Usnisa Hall, this place looked less like a conventional temple and more like an opulent, sci-fi sanctuary.

Towering 21.8 meters high at the center of the hall was an incredibly intricate, multi-layered stupa. It was forged entirely from solid bronze, heavily plated in gold, and inlaid with the Buddhist "Seven Treasures" including crystal, colored glass (琉璃), and gemstones. The blue, bowl-shaped middle segment was crafted using complex, ancient cloisonné enamel techniques.

Overhead, layered geometric rings and a massive, illuminated ceiling glowed with thousands of softly dimming lights, making the entire space feel like an architectural mandala floating in deep space.

On the canopy roof of the 26-meter-high Relic Hall, four splendid and colorful drawing or pattern of the Buddhist Pure Land were meticulously depicted. Surrounding the solemn large Relic Pagoda stand four jade-carved Buddha statues, each 1.2 meters high, which were skillfully divided and intricately carved from a single rare piece of white jade weighing 25 tons.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor consists of the underground third, fourth, and fifth floors. Encircled completely by a sweeping circular viewing gallery, the perimeter walls house tens of thousands of deeply glowing, gold-leaf Buddha niches. The layout perfectly brings to life the classic scriptures depicting the "Ten Thousand Buddhas Encircling Vairocana".

Another view of the stunning hall on an upper level.

We spent about 2 hours exploring the Foding Palace. To the sides and rear of the palace, the terrain fell away into a massive, hidden drop-off. This is the abandoned mining pit over 60 meters deep left behind by mid-20th-century iron excavators.

Our next stop was to visit the Foding Tower (佛顶塔), which will be detailed in my next post.

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