Dinghui Temple () was built in 591 AD during the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. According to the ''Xugao Sengzhuan'', written by a monk called Daoxuan during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the

emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...

held a meeting involving thousands of monks in

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...

. During the meeting the founder of Tiantai Buddhism passed by and decided to build a temple in

Rugao Rugao () is a county-level city under the administration of Nantong, Jiangsu province, China, located in the Yangtze River Delta on the northern (left) bank of the river. History In 411, the western part of then Hailing ( Taizhou) was separated f ...

. He took apart many houses nearby and built the temple. An accompanying pagoda was built at the same time.

Brief introduction

Dinghui Temple was seriously damaged due to a series of wars during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. At the time of the reign of the Jiajing emperor during the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, the Yangzhou government donated 46,410

tael Tael (),"Tael" entry
at the

wokou ("Japanese" pirates). During the reign of the Wanli emperor, Dinghui Temple was totally rebuilt and a scripture library was added. In November 1983, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province decided to open the temple to the public. By that time, most of its heritage was ruined and its Buddha statues were heavily damaged. But by the Rugao Government's efforts, Dinghui Temple was restored to its original and many tourists now visit the temple every year.

Temple layout

Dinghui Temple covers an area of 16 '' mu'' and the whole layout presents a shape like the Chinese character “回”. House churches are outer ring and temples are inside. The gate of the temple faces north, which is rare in China. Daxiong Palace and Scripture Library are both at south facing north. Now, a river surrounds the temple and makes the temple more beautiful. In Jingang Palace, there are four statues representing the

Four Heavenly Kings The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...

. Virūḍhaka carries a sharp sword with angry eyes. Dhṛtarāṣṭra holds a lute looking up with pretension.

Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , , ja, 毘沙門天, Bishamonten, ko, 비사문천, Bisamuncheon, vi, Đa Văn Thiên Vương), is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. Names The n ...

takes an umbrella with a hideous face. Virūpākṣa seizes a dragon by his strong muscles.

Location

Dinghui Temple is at 17 on Shuguang Road in southeast Rugao.

References

External links

Travelling Guide
{{National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area Buddhist temples in Nantong Buildings and structures in Nantong