HANGZHOU LINGYIN TEMPLE- ENTRY GROTTOS

Описание: HANGZHOOU LINGYIN TEMPLE-TEMPLE OF SOULS RETREAT
Lingyin Temple (simplified Chinese: 灵隐寺;pinyin: Língyǐn Sì) is a prominent Chan Buddhist temple near Hangzhou that is renowned for its many pagodas and grottos

The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains which feature renowned grottos and religious rock carvings

HISTORY
According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin dynasty (266–420) by an Indian monk, named Huili in Chinese. From its inception, Lingyin was a famous monastery in the Jiangnan region

SORROUNDINGS
The Wuling Mountains are a renowned site for Chan Buddhism in Southern China. A number of smaller temples are also located in the area

Proceeding down the road from the entrance, the visitor first sees Feilai Feng on the left, then Lingyin Hill on the right

The entire scenic area is dotted with historic buildings and artwork, including pagodas, pavilions, bridges, and statues

FEILAI FENG GROTTOS
Feilai Feng, or "the Peak that Flew Hither" / "Flying Peak". Legend holds that the peak was originally from India but flew to Hangzhou overnight as a demonstration of the omnipotence of Buddhist law. Within the main cave, dedicated to the bodhisattva Guanyin

The stone carvings on Feilai Feng (600m X 200m) have 153 shrines, 470+ carvings. More prominent carvings is a shrine to Budai (a monk traditionally regarded as an incarnation of Maitreya) surrounded by the Eighteen Arhats. This shrine stands at 3.6 meters high and 9.9 meters long, making it the largest shrine on Feilai Feng

LINGYIN TEMPLE -ARCHITECTURE
The main axis of Lingyin follows a traditional Song dynasty five-hall Chan sect structure. The main axis stretches up the Lingyin Hill. However, the five-hall axis is a recent recreation

Only the front three halls are a part of the Qing dynasty axis

HALL OF THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS
The double-eaved Hall of the Heavenly Kings is the formal entrance to the temple carries a plaque-Chan temple of the Clouds and Forests

The principal statue in this hall is that of the Maitreya Buddha in his manifestation as Budai or the Laughing Buddha

At the back, facing up the hill, is the 800 year oldest Skanda Buddha

Arranged along the left and right are the imposing statues of Four Heavenly Kings. The ceiling is ornately painted and decorated with phoenixes and dragons

THE MAHAVIRA HALL
The second and principal hall is the 33.6M high Mahavira Hall (also referred to as the Grand Hall of the Great Sage)

To the left of the courtyard stands the Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats

The Shakyamuni Buddha statue (24.6Metres high/gold/vitarka mudrā)at the Mahavira Hall-At 24.6 meters high (including the throne on which the statue sits) - IT IS THE LARGEST WOODEN BUDDHA STATUE IN CHINA

HALL OF BHAISAJYAGURU
Further uphill and behind the main hall is the Hall of Bhaisajyaguru (藥師殿; Yàoshī Diàn), housing a statue of the Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, commonly called the Medicine Buddha

Statues of the Bodhisattvas Sūryaprabha and Candraprabha, who are traditionally regarded as the attendants of Bhaisajyaguru, stand on the left and right side of Bhaisajyaguru's statue respectively

Twelve statues (6 on each side) of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, who are protective yaksha attendants of Bhaisajyaguru

DHARMA HALL
The Dharma Hall is located behind the Hall of Bhaisajyaguru and is the main place where the Buddhist sutras are expounded by the resident monastics

CULTURAL RELICS EXHIBITION HALL
The Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall (638 sq.m) lies on the basement floor of the Dharma Hall and displays the collection of 40 Buddhist cultural relics maintained by the temple

BUDDHISTS TEXT LIBRARY
Uphill from the Hall of the Medicine Buddha is the Buddhist Texts Library. This, and the Huayan Hall behind it, were built from 2000 to 2002 to recreate the five-hall main axis. The Sutra Library does not house a major statue and is not open for worship

HUAYAN HALL
The fifth and last hall on the main axis is the Avatamsaka Hall, or Huayan Hall (华严殿; Huáyán Diàn). This hall houses statues of the three sages of the Avatamsaka Sutra, known as the Huayan Sutra in Chinese – Sakyamuni, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra

HALL OF THE FIVE HUNDRED ARHATS
The Hall of Five Hundred Arhats shaped like a Buddhist swastika with 1 Ton Bronze statues (1.7M X 1.3M) of the five hundred arhats are arranged along the arms of the swastika, with each statue seated on a unique ornate seat

At the center of the hall, where the arms of the swastika join, stands a bronze canopy (12.62 M X 7.77 M) housing statues of the four main bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism - Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, Manjusri and Samantabhadra, who represent the four cardinal directions-Currently THE TALLEST BRONZE STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD

TWO SUTRA PILLARS
The two sutra pillars are located in the eastern and western sides of the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings. The eastern pillar stands at 7.17 meters high and the western pillar stands at 11 meters high