The Shuanglin Temple () is a large

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple in the

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-leve ...

Province of China. It is situated in the countryside of Qiaotou village about southwest of the ancient city of

Pingyao Pingyao, officially Pingyao Ancient City, is a walled city in central Shanxi, China, famed for its importance in Chinese economic history and for its well-preserved Ming and Qing urban planning and architecture. Administratively, it comprises ...

. It is among the many cultural monuments located in the Pingyao, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 1997. The temple is protected by the state administration. Founded in the 6th century, the temple is notable for its collection of more than 2,000 decorated clay statues that are dated to the 12th-19th centuries. Its original name was Zongdu but it was renamed during the

Northern Song Dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

period as Shuanglin. It is nicknamed the museum of coloured sculptures. Most of them are dated to the period of the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

, Yuan,

Ming 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 pe ...

and

Qing 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 ...

dynasties.

History

The Buddhist temple was founded in 571 A.D. during the second year of the Wuping period of the

Northern Qi Dynasty Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

. However, the extant buildings date to the

and

dynasties. It is notable for its collection of over two thousand decorated clay statues dating from the 12th-19th centuries. Many of the statues were stolen or damaged during the Cultural Revolution. It is one of the five sites identified in the city's preservation area of cultural relics which has undergone several renovations. In Pingyao's tortoise-shaped city plan, which is characterized by many coloured art sculptures, the Shuanglin Temple is rated as the city's third treasure.

Geography

The Shuanglin Temple is located some six to seven kilometers away from

, in Qiatou village's countryside.

Layout

The sculpted figures are displayed in a very systematic manner, in ten halls. The temple complex appears like a fortress as it has a high compound wall with a gate. The ten halls are arranged within three courtyards.

Features

The temple is noted for its colourful sculptures, lifelike in form, which were patterned on the design of the artistic traditions of the Song, Jin and Yuan periods. The themes depicted are generally religious in nature and relate to the daily life of people. They are considered among the finest examples of Chinese coloured sculptures. The number of coloured sculptures are reported to be 2,052, out of which 1,650 are reported to be extant. The height of the sculptures varies between . The formats are of

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

high relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

and in circular form. There are also wall sculptures and a few are suspended.

Buddha 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 L ...

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

, Warrior Guards,

Arhat In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...

, heavenly generals and also common people are the sculptural themes. The background scenes depict towers, buildings, mountains, rivers, clouds, rocks, grasses, flowers, forested trees, and woodlands. The sculptures are displayed behind caged chambers in a tableaux form. There is also statue of husband and wife who took care of this shrine during the Chinese Revolution. The setting of the scene behind the statues is that of flowing water cascades or clouds, and as result the wooden halls appear like grottoes. Maintenance is reported to be poor as many statues are seen in a bad condition for lack of preservation. The temple's external surface is covered with coal dust and looks musty. Shuanglin Si Temple

Hall of the Devas

Sculptures of Vajrapani and the Four Heavenly Kings are displayed in the Hall of the Devas.

Arhat Hall

Eighteen sculptresses are in the Arhat hall (''Luohan Ting''; ). These are sculpted as noble figures with amicable facial expressions. The garments are similar to the Cao Jiaxiang's style and have received wide acclaim. The carved garments are tight fitting shirts over loose robes with broad sleeves. The most striking figure among the sculptures in the Arhat hall is that of the holy Guanyin style of sculpting which was popular during the later period of Chinese Buddhism. The gilded sculpted image of Bodhisattva of this period is shown in a cross-legged pose seated on a lotus. A Sumeru throne is sculpted below this image and is fixed over figures of mighty men. The statue is carved in a halo.

Hall of a Thousand Buddhas

The Skanda statue is in the Hall of a Thousand Buddhas, which are considered masterpieces of sculptural art of the Buddhist culture of the Ming dynasty period. The hall has sculpted feminine figurines in a sitting posture. The chief deity is shown with his legs positioned over a coiled dragon.

Bodhisattva Hall

Bodhisattva Hall, called the ''Pusa Ting'' (), has a thousand-armed Guanyin. The ceiling in this hall contains depictions of a guard in the form of three-clawed round and bellied figure, and is painted green. The Bodhisattva hall has the sculpture of a young, attractive looking woman said to represent the Bodhisattva, which is sculpted with many hands. The clothing is very rich and ornaments decorate the Bodhisattva. The twenty or more arms of the Bodhisattva are well-sculpted, of very fair skin, with hands set behind the head and on torso.

References

{{Buddhist temples in China Buddhist temples in Jinzhong 6th-century establishments in China 6th-century Buddhist temples Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shanxi