Perched on precipitous cliffs beside the Yellow River in Qinghai, Dandou Temple marks the sacred birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism’s Later Diffusion. After the 9th-century religious persecution in Tibet, three refugee monks settled in local caves and educated master Lachen Gongpa Rabsel here. His disciples later carried intact Buddhist precepts back to central Tibet and revived declining Dharma. Blending grotto chambers and traditional monastic construction, the cliff-hugging complex remains a revered spiritual landmark of Amdo after over a thousand years.
