Mange Temple () is a
Buddhist temple located in
Jinghong
Jinghong (; khb, ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦᩁᩩ᩵ᨦ; th, เชียงรุ่ง, , ; lo, ຊຽງຮຸ່ງ; also formerly romanised as ''Chiang Hung'', ''Chengrung'', ''Cheng Hung'', Jeng Hung, ''Jinghung'', ''Keng Hung'', ''Kiang Hung'' and ' ...
of
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
,
China. Covering an area of , the temple is bordered by
Lancang River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
in the north. Built in 1477, the temple is one of the oldest temples in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.
History
According to historic records, the temple was first built in 1477, in the 13th year of
Chenghua period (1465–1487) in the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
(1368–1644), with a history of more than 500 years.
Architecture
The temple consists of more than 7 buildings. The complex includes the following halls: Main Hall, Scripture Hall, Monk's Houses,
Drum tower, Ordination Hall, corridors and door kiosks.
Main Hall
The main hall also known as "Buddha Hall", is an long and wide building with double eaves, three slopes and no columns (). The spectacular Dai style roof is high and steep in slopes because it is surrounded by 16 red painted ''
ailanthus'' wood columns with lacquered flower patterns. They are decorated with dedicate and beautiful sparrow braces and hanging fascia. The ceiling is drawn with pretty patterns with phenomenal Dai style characteristic. On the walls are paintings with stories of Sakyamuni's becoming Buddha, which are bright in color, fluent in lines and with the style of Dai
frescos. They are covered with colorful frescos depicting the vivid and lively images of
Chinese dragon
The Chinese dragon, also known as ''loong'', ''long'' or ''lung'', is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most ...
s, white
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
s,
phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
es,
peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
s and female celestials.
In the center of the main hall enshrines a high gilded statue of
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
. The various statues of Buddha and animals are placed in front of the statue of Sakyamuni. Before the statue of Sakyamuni, long flags which are known as ''Dong'' in
Dai language are hung from the beams, in length, they have colorful patterns and flying silver and gold foil streamers hanging down from the beams.
Ordination Hall
The Ordination Hall is an long and wide building with double eaves, three slopes and no columns. A high sumeru throne is placed in the middle of the hall. A high statue of Sakyamuni is sitting on the sumeru throne.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mange Temple
Buildings and structures in Jinghong
Buddhist temples in Yunnan
Tourist attractions in Jinghong
1470s establishments in Asia
15th-century Buddhist temples
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1477
15th-century establishments in China