Yuanzhao 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 ...

Wutai County Wutai County () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xinzhou, in the northeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering Hebei province to the east. It is named after Mount Wutai, which is located within its borders. It ...

, 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

In the early years of Yongle period (1403-1424) of

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 ...

(1368-1644), the Nepalese Buddhist monk Shilisha () came to China to preach Buddhism. To commemorate him, Xuande Emperor (1399-1435) gave orders to build a Buddhist temple 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 ...

Architecture

Along the central axis are Shanmen, Hall of Four Heavenly Kings,

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 ...

and Dugang Hall. There are over 10 halls and rooms on both sides, including wing-room and dormitory.

Shanmen

Shanmen are usually built in a row with a big one in the middle and two small ones on two sides, but the shanmen of Yuanzhao Temple are built in a row with a big one in the middle and four small ones on two sides, so the shanmen are known as the Wuchaomen (). On both sides of the shanmen there are two Chinese guardian lions. The hall has a width of and a depth of , the construction area is .

Hall of Four Heavenly Kings

The

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

Buddha and Four Heavenly Kings' statues are enshrined in the Hall of Four Heavenly Kings. They are the eastern Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the southern Virūḍhaka, the western Virūpākṣa, and the northern

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 ...

. Inside the hall, two plaques with Chinese couplet are hung on the two side pillars. It says "". The hall has a width of and a depth of . Under the eaves is a plaque written by

Qianlong Emperor 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 ...

(1735-1796) in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

(1644-1911).

Mahavira Hall

The

is the second hall and main hall in the temple. In the middle is the 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 ...

, statues of Amitabha and

Bhaisajyaguru Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...

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

is placed in front of the statue of Sakyamuni. The statues of Eighteen Arhats stand on both sides of the hall.

Dugang Hall

The Dugang Hall () is the third hall of the temple for the worship of a statue of the Nepalese Buddhist monk Shilisha. The name of Dugang Hall derives from an official position title "Dugang" () of the Later Qin (384-417), which in charge of Buddhist temples, Buddhist monks and bestowal of office.

Stupa

The stupa of Shilisha in the backyard of the temple. The height is about .

Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuanzhao Temple Buddhist temples in Xinzhou Gelug monasteries and temples Tibetan Buddhist temples in Shanxi Buddhist temples on Mount Wutai Wutai County Xinzhou