| Zhiyuan Temple | |
|---|---|
祗园寺 | |
 TheMahavira Hall at Zhiyuan Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Location | Mount Jiuhua,Qingyang County,Anhui |
| Country | China |
 | |
| Geographic coordinates | 30°29′31″N117°48′15″E / 30.491865°N 117.804255°E /30.491865; 117.804255 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Chinese architecture |
| Date established | Jiajing period (1522–1566) |
Zhiyuan Temple (simplified Chinese:祗园寺;traditional Chinese:祗園寺;pinyin:Zhīyuán Sì) is aBuddhist temple located onMount Jiuhua, inQingyang County,Anhui, China.[1] Alongside Ganlu Temple, Baisui Palace and Dongyan Chan Temple are honoured as the "Four Buddhist Temple on Mount Jiuhua".
The name of the temple is cited from Buddhist Stories, which says thatGautama Buddha resided in amonastery named "Zhiyuan" (祗园) or "Guduyuan" (孤独园) orJetavana for over twenty years.[2]
Zhiyuan Temple was first built in theJiajing period (1522–1566) of theMing dynasty (1368–1644), and went through many changes and repairs through the followingQing dynasty (1644–1911). Most of the present structures in the temple were repaired or built in the Qing dynasty.[2] In 1841, during the reign ofDaoguang Emperor (1840–1850) in theQing dynasty, abbot Longshan (隆山) died. His body became amummy but was destroyed by theRed Guards in theCultural Revolution.[3]
The temple was originally named "Zhishu'an" (祗树庵) and renamed "Zhiyuan Temple" after the extension under the leadership of monk Dagen (大根).[3]
Zhiyuan Temple has been designated as aNational Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by theState Council of China in 1983. On October 28, 2014, it was classified as a municipal cultural unit by the local government.
The existing main buildings include theShanmen,Tianwang Hall,Daxiongbao Hall, Lingguan Hall,Mi Le (Maitreya) Hall, Reception Hall, Dining Hall, and Abbot's Room.[2][4]
TheShanmen is flush threefold story gable roof style (三层硬山顶). Statues ofHeng and Ha and Lord Lingguan (灵官) are enshrined in the hall.[5]
The Tianwang Hall has a double-eave gable and hip roof (重檐歇山顶). Statues ofFour Heavenly Kings are housed in the hall.[5]
TheDaxiongbao Hall is the main and third hall in the temple. It has a double-eave gable and hip roof (重檐歇山顶) covered with yellow glazed tiles, which symbolize a high level in architecture because yellow was the symbol of the royal family.[3]
The hall houses three gilded copper statues of three Buddha, namelyShijiamounifo (Sakyamuni),Amituofo (Amitabha) andYaoshi Fo (Bhaisajyaguru). They have an average height of about 7 metres (23 ft), which is the highest statues on Mount Jiuhua. The statue ofGuanyin is placed at the back of the three statues. The statues ofEighteen Arhats stand on both sides of the hall.[3]
The temple's kitchen keeps seven bronzecauldrons, the largest having 173 centimetres (68 in) in diameter and 56 centimetres (22 in) in height, which are known as "thousand monks cauldrons" (千僧灶) for its capacity of cooking 200 kilograms (440 lb) of rice each time.[6]
TheCangjing Ge has the onlyTripitaka (龙藏) collection in Chinese printed by the Qing imperial court and 1,669 otherTripitaka books.[6]