Wenshu Temple (), also known as Guang'an 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 at the foot of
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 ...
, 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,
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 ...
. It is one of the five residence of
Changkya Khutukhtu
The Changkya Khutukhtu (Chakhar Mongolian: ''Janggiy-a qutuγ-tu'', Khalkha Mongolian: Зангиа Хутагт ''Zangia Khutagt''; Tibetan: ལྕང་སྐྱ་ཧོ་ཐོག་ཐུ།, ''lcang-skya ho-thog-thu''; Chinese: 章嘉呼圖 ...
.
History
The temple was first established in the
Qianlong period
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
(1736–1795) of the
Qing dynasty (1644–1911). The modern temple was completed in 1821 during the reign of
Daoguang Emperor.
On September 19, 2016, the newly established
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 ...
was consecrated by eminent Buddhist masters of the
Buddhist Association of Mount Wutai.
Architecture
The temple covers an area of and faces the south.
Main Hall
The Main Hall enshrining the statues of
Tsongkhapa and
Guanyin. Guanyin has ten small heads, hence the name "Ten Head Guanyin" (). Statues 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 ...
,
Guanyin and
Vajrapani are placed at the back of the hall. On the walls are paintings with stories of
Xuanzang went west for sutras and the 500
Arhats.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenshu Temple
Buddhist temples on Mount Wutai
Buildings and structures in Xinzhou
Tourist attractions in Xinzhou
1821 establishments in China
19th-century Buddhist temples
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1821