The Little Potala Palace, formerly known as Putuo Zongcheng Temple, covers an area of 220,000 square meters and is the largest of the eight major temples outside Chengde. Built in the thirty-sixth year of Qianlong (177 1), Qianlong celebrated its sixtieth birthday and its mother celebrated its eightieth.
Putuo Zongcheng Temple is modeled after Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Putuo Zongcheng is a Chinese translation of the Tibetan word Potala. The temple is built on the mountain, facing south, with a pavilion at the entrance and five pagodas in the north. It is more than ten meters high and has three arches, on which five Lama pagodas are built: red, yellow, black, white and green.
There are a pair of stone lions in front of the mountain gate and a five-hole stone bridge in the south. There are waist doors on both sides of the mountain gate, which are connected by walls. To the north of the mountain gate is a stele pavilion with a square three-bay, yellow glass with double eaves resting on the top of the mountain, brick arch structure, sealed walls, four arches and a platform of Xumi Mountain.