La Boulaye: Buddhist Temple and Cultural Heritage

When looking for a hotel in La Boulaye, it helps to consider the themes that shape the area: Buddhist culture, historic buildings and a marked hiking trail.

Landscape between the Arroux and the hills

The municipality of La Boulaye stretches from the Arroux at an elevation of 256 metres to the Bois de Chaumont, where Montagne de la Louère reaches 486 metres. Farmland and woodland shape the area, with forests covering 37 percent of the municipality. Alongside its rural landscape, Buddhist cultural heritage is one of the distinct features that makes La Boulaye an interesting place to stay.

Paldenshangpa Temple: Art, History and Program

The Buddhist Paldenshangpa Temple in La Boulaye was founded in 1974 by a Tibetan lama. It is also known as the Temple des Mille Bouddhas, extends over three levels and houses huge Buddha statues and colourful paintings. The garden features colourful banners and a pyramid-shaped stupa, a Tibetan religious monument. Visitors can explore the grounds and the temple gallery, and take part in rituals featuring chants and music.

The centre offers courses, retreats and teachings to deepen Buddhist practice and understanding of Buddhism. Guided tours for groups can be arranged by prior reservation; a lama introduces visitors to Buddhist tradition and meditation. The Paldenshangpa Temple has bus parking, car parking and toilets. Visits and programs offer different focuses: the tour centres on the buildings, art and garden, while courses and guided tours focus more on practice and teaching.

Hiking Trail and Historic Sites

The Circuit du Bois de Chaumont is a hiking trail in La Boulaye. Over three kilometres, it follows the red-and-white markings of the GR131 to the Croix de Valveron. The route also passes the temple before returning towards its starting point. Check the trail markings and local path conditions before setting out.

Other traces of history also form part of the area’s character. A former Roman road runs through La Boulaye from Poiseuil in the north to the Pont du Gourmandou in the south. It is private and features several stone bridges. The grounds of a former private estate include an ice house dating from 1740. It measures eight metres in diameter and six metres deep, and has a spiral staircase with staggered steps. The tomb of the Counts of Montmort lies in a private forest. A stone pyramid, five metres high and five metres wide, rises above a burial site with 16 places; the burial site was vandalised.

An animal-powered mill dating from 1830 has been converted into luxurious guest rooms, with an impressive exterior stone staircase. As current accommodation use may change independently, check its current use and availability before making specific plans.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Léger-Lès-Paray, Givry, Change, Montmort, Mont, Coublanc, Montchanin, Plottes

For the wider travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.