Mati Temple or Matisi.. also known as the Horse’s Hoof Temple, is a Buddhist temple complex located in a rock , is one of the most important Buddhist cave temples in China. It is located in the Linsong Mountains in Sun’an Yugui Autonomous County, Zhangye Urban District, Gansu Province. According to legend, a heavenly horse (Chinese Pegasus) descended from heaven and left a footprint of its hoof, which can still be seen on the walls of the grotto (Mati Hall). This gave the name to the temple. This trail is now one of the main attractions of the temple.
Access : Coordinates: 38.486384, 100.417321 / Location: Sunan Yugu Autonomous County, Zhangye Urban District, Gansu Province. / Nearest city: Zhangye, Gansu province, China. / Bus that departs every 30 minutes from Nanguan Bus Station in the south of Zhangye City. The bus goes to the village of Sunan , but you will need to get off in the village of Mati Si village, and from there take a local taxi or take a minibus and drive 7 kilometers to the entrance to the temple.
Highlights :
- There are about 30 grottoes in the Sevres Temple of Mount Mati. Most of them were created during the Northern Xia, Southern Xia, Yuan and Ming dynasties. 33.5 meters long and 26.3 meters wide, grotto No. 8 is the largest Buddhist grotto. It was built during the Western Xia Dynasty.
- The Temple of a Thousand Buddhas. It is smaller, but with the same beautiful balconies and a pagoda in the courtyard. You don’t need a separate ticket, the one that was bought to enter the reserve is valid.
- Of the entire complex, the Golden Pagoda Temple is the best preserved. The caves were dug at a depth of 60 meters at a distance of 15 kilometers from the Mati temple. The temple consists of two pagoda-shaped caves.
Opening hours: 8:00 – 18:00 / Ticket price: 35 ¥ ( $ 6) – entrance to the reserve and the Temple of a Thousand Buddhas, 35 ¥ ( $ 6) – entrance to the Matisa temple.
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking / Horseback riding is offered very close to the temple / get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the local people / You can also spend the night in the Yugurov tents as an acquaintance with the culture and traditions of local residents.
Go next : Linsong Waterfall / sword cut – Huqiu’s famous “testing stone” / danxia landform – Zhangye Danxia National Geopark.
