Western Air Temple

:This article is about the location. For the episode, see "The Western Air Temple".
The Western Air Temple is one of the four original temples of the Air Nomads and one of the two, the other being the Eastern Air Temple, that traditionally housed female airbenders. It is located in the mountains north of the Fire Nation. The temple is notable in that, unlike the other temples, it is situated underneath the edge of a cliff instead of atop a mountain. The spires give the appearance of having been built upside-down, and because of that, the temple is hidden to the passerby. Its design allows wind to flow into even the deepest chambers, which made the Air Nomads feel at home. Avatar Yangchen was born and raised at the Western Air Temple.
== History ==
Abbess Dagmola was in charge of the Western Air Temple shortly after the death of Avatar Szeto. Dagmola and the other senior nuns learned that a girl under their care named Yangchen was the next Avatar. Before Yangchen was eight, the nuns witnessed her incoherently babbling to people who did not exist, and learned that she was having strong visions of past Avatar companions that could sometimes turn into "waking nightmares" if she recalled traumatic experiences. Librarian Tsering and Sister Jetsun helped soothe Yangchen by researching who she was talking to and reading aloud historical excerpts. Yangchen's visions meant that she had discovered that she was the Avatar by the age of eleven. Jetsun, who she viewed as an elder sister, helped guide her into the Spirit World for the first time in a meditation circle in a meadow above the cliffs. While Yangchen was able to return to her physical body, Jetsun was not, and the older nun soon passed away, as her body had been separated from its spirit. Jetsun was honored as an elder and an Avatar companion who had given her life to protect the bridge between humans and spirits at her funeral. 
Yangchen later left the temple to master the four elements, with Master Boma making an oath to the elders to keep her safe. During the Unanimity crisis, Yangchen and her companions offered a nonbender girl called Hsien a new life at the Western Air Temple. Hsien was from the Natsuo Island chain, and had been a victim of Zongdu Chaisee's inhumane experiments to produce a human weapon. The girl had developed a rudimentary form of chi-blocking as a result of the experiments. The Order of the White Lotus was not informed about Hsien or her abilities, with Kavik believing her hand-to-hand combat would never sway the balance of the four nations. However, in later eras, the Western Air Temple was home to other master chi-blockers.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 50.
During the adolescence of Avatar Kyoshi, the Western Air Temple, along with its counterparts, pursued a highly isolationist policy as the Air Nomads sought to ignore worldly concerns to focus on preserving spiritual knowledge for generations to come.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 40. Over two centuries later, by the life of Avatar Roku, the West and the other temples sought to forge close ties with the leaders of the other nations in hopes of helping more people. All four air temples eventually agreed to the construction of the Fire & Air Center of Learning in the Fire Nation with the support of the nation's nobility so that their teachings could be promoted elsewhere. When the renegade order known as the Guiding Wind sought to break the relationship between the Air Nomads and the wealthy elites of other nations and criticized the temples for undermining the spiritual growth of all peoples, the West began to officially view them as too opposed to tradition.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 51.
At the start of the Hundred Year War, the Western Air Temple's population was killed by the Fire Nation during the Air Nomad Genocide and its aftermath, though the temple itself escaped significant damage. Almost a century later, after being banished from the Fire Nation, Zuko traveled to the temple to begin his search for Avatar Aang. Otherwise, the temple lay uninhabited, until Aang and his friends headed to the Western Air Temple for a safe place to stay after the unsuccessful invasion. Ironically, after following the remnants of the invasion force here, Zuko decided to join Aang, pledging to teach him firebending.
Combustion Man attacked this temple in hopes of eliminating the Avatar and his gang. Thanks in part to Zuko's intervention on their behalf and Sokka's expertise in using a boomerang, Combustion Man was defeated and killed when his own firebending caused a massive and lethal explosion, which also caused half of the building he was standing on to break off and fall into the canyon below, taking whatever may have been left of the body with it. The temple suffered extensive damage besides this from the attack, but was still largely intact. The group spent several nights there.
Azula led an attack on the temple thereafter, battling her brother and forcing the rest of the group to flee. After one of her blasts clashed with an equally powerful blast from Zuko, both of them were thrown off the airship. Zuko was saved by Team Avatar, who was flying on Appa, and Azula used her firebending to propel herself toward the cliffside, using her hair piece as a hook to slow the fall. The invasion force members, including Chit Sang, fled using an airship stolen from Azula at the Boiling Rock prison. The attack resulted in a large amount of damage, including the complete destruction of the fountain's remnants.
After the Hundred Year War, the Western Air Temple, along with the other three air temples, was restored to its former glory by Avatar Aang and the Air Acolytes.The Legend of Korra: Enhanced Experience, page one. Following Harmonic Convergence, some of the Air Nation's new airbenders came to the Western Air Temple to help care for it.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 90.
== Description ==
The temple was built on the underside of a cliff, causing all of the buildings to appear to hang upside down. There are steps built into the side of the cliff to allow for movement between tiers of the temple and different buildings. There is a three thousand foot drop between the temple and the ground below. There are some spiritual sites near the temple proper, such as a meditation circle in a meadow above the cliffs. This circle is situated in the grass, a stone slab floor laid level in the earth. Five columns of rock that look like fingers and a thumb jut out around the circle, unevenly spaced, with the Air Nomad symbol at their tips.
There is a hall of statues within the temple. The temple features some interesting recreational spots, such as a giant Pai Sho table, an all-day echo chamber, a flying bison obstacle course, a racetrack, and an airball court. There are several spaces for writing and making colorful sand paintings. One of the most important areas is the Great Library, which contains ancient vaults of very old writings, some being so old that they were written on bamboo slips instead of paper. There is an infirmary dedicated to sick nuns or children under the care of the temple.
Another notable feature is a series of metal doors located within the fountain area, which can be converted to shields to protect inhabitants from outside attackers.
== Notable figures ==
* Abbess Dagmola
* Avatar Yangchen
* Hsien
* Librarian Tsering
* Sister Jetsun
* Sister Norri
* Sister Rioshon
== Trivia ==
* Until Combustion Man destroyed part of the fountain structure and blew up one of the temple's inverted towers, this seemed to be the only temple untouched by other parties; the Southern Air Temple had Fire Nation corpses from the battle with Fire Lord Sozin's forces, the Northern Air Temple was modified and damaged by Earth Kingdom colonials, and the Eastern Air Temple was cleaned up by Guru Pathik. The Western Air Temple is only known to have been visited by Iroh and Zuko a week after the latter's banishment, being the closest to the Fire Nation.
* According to Iroh, Pakku, and Bumi's retelling of Team Avatar's adventures during the Hundred Year War, the Western Air Temple had two yards, called "Breeze Yard" and "Zephyr Yard".
* The design of the Western Air Temple was inspired by the roofs of Bhutanese monasteries, like Paro Taktsang, and Tibetan architecture.Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, p. 154.DiMartino, Michael Dante & Konietzko, Bryan (May 6, 2008). "The Western Air Temple" commentary. Book 3: Fire, Volume 3 DVD.Basco, Dante (host), Varney, Janet (host), DiMartino, Michael (guest), Konietzko, Bryan (guest). (January 16, 2024). "Book Three: Fire". Avatar: Braving the Elements. Episode 103. iHeartRadio.
* This is the only original air temple not to be located on the top of a mountain.
* Aang's airbending was enhanced due to the windy environment of the Western Air Temple.Avatar Extras for "The Western Air Temple" on Nicktoons Network.
* The Western Air Temple is the largest of the five temples.
* The temple contained a large Pai Sho table.
* The Western Air Temple was the only air temple not to be shown in The Legend of Korra.
* The nuns of the Western Air Temple were usually vegetarian, like all Air Nomads, though they believed that it was acceptable to eat meat if that was the only option in a meal being served by someone from another nation. They also allowed eating meat in order to save oneself from extreme hunger. However, this provision was optional, and some nuns still chose to abstain from meat in all circumstances.
* The Western Air Temple was included as a playable map in the fighting game Brawlhalla following the November 16, 2022 update as part of a crossover event with Avatar.
* The Western Air Temple was included as a playable stage in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and its sequel, featuring Appa flying around the stage.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Air Nomads
* Air Temple Island
* Eastern Air Temple
* Northern Air Temple
* Southern Air Temple
de:Westlicher Lufttempel
es:Templo Aire del Oeste
fi:Läntinen tuulitemppeli
fr:Temple de l'Air de l'Ouest
id:Kuil Udara Barat
ms:Kuil udara barat
nl:Westelijke Luchttempel
pl:Zachodnia Światynia Powietrza
ru:Западный Храм Воздуха
vi:Tây Khí Tự
Category:A to Z
Category:Air Nomads
Category:Locations
Category:Settlements