Qifo Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

located in

Taihuai Town Taihuai () is a town in Wutai County, Xinzhou, Shanxi, China. it had a population of 10,525 and an area of . The Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan live here. Taihuai located in the northeastern Wutai County. It borders the Yedou Peak () in ...

of Wutai County, Xinzhou,

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

History

The Qifo temple was first construction in the Northern Song (960-1127), rebuilt in 1466 in the Chenghua period (1447-1487) and 1734 in the Yongzheng period (1678-1735). In 1734, the temple converted to Tibetan Buddhism. Qifo Temple was completely destroyed in the Cultural Revolution. In 1991, monk Zhengti () and Bentong () started to rebuild the temple.

Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...

, Hall of Four Heavenly Kings, Qifo Hall, Three Saints Hall, Hall of Guru, Hall of

Manjushri Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...

, and Buddhist Texts Hall were added to the temple successively.

Architecture

Qifo Hall

The Qifo Hall () enshrining seven jade statues of Buddha from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. The hall in the west side of the temple.

Three Saints Hall

The Three Saints Hall () in the east side of Qifo Temple. The hall enshrining the Three Saints of Hua-yan (). In the middle is Sakyamuni, statues of

and

Samantabhadra Samantabhadra (Lit. "All Good", or "Always Auspicious") may refer to: * Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva), a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation * ''Samantabhadra'' (Tibetan: ''Kuntu Zangpo''), the name of a Buddha, ...

stand on the left and right sides of Sakyamuni's statue.

Hall of Guru

The Hall of Guru in the south of the temple enshrining the statues of Buddha.

Qifo Tower

The Qifo Tower () is high and built of white marble. It is the highest white marble tower in

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks roughly corresponding to the c ...

. The tower was hexagonal with seven stories. It is composed of a pagoda base, a sumeru throne and a dense-eave body. The base was engraved patterns of lotuses, flowers and grasses. Each story has a nich with small statues of Buddha are carved on the body of the tower, from top to bottom, they are statues of Vipassī Buddha, Sikhī Buddha, Vessabhū Buddha,

Krakucchanda Kakusandha (Pāli), or Krakucchaṃda in Sanskrit, is one of the ancient Buddhas whose biography is chronicled in chapter 22 of the ''Buddhavaṃsa'', one of the books of the Pali Canon. According to Theravāda Buddhist tradition, Kakusandha is th ...

, Koṇāgamana Buddha, Kassapa Buddha and Sakyamuni.

National treasure

A bell cast in 1466 in the 2nd year of Chenghua period of Ming dynasty (1368-1644) is collect in the temple.

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qifo Temple Buddhist temples in Xinzhou Wutai County Xinzhou