Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple or Huayan Monastery is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province. It has been burned down and rebuilt several times. Fortunately, the Mahavira Hall and the Library of Buddhist Texts preserve the architectural style of the Liao and Jin dynasties (907-1234). Without a doubt, Huayan Temple is an artistic complex of ancient Chinese architecture, sculptures, epigraphs and wall paintings, as well as a cultural combination of religion and politics.

Attractions of Huayan Temple

The temple consists of two independent parts: the upper part, called the Great Hall, houses five large Buddhas from the Ming Dynasty, and the lower part is the Temple of Classical Scriptures, which contains around 18,000 volumes of Buddhist works. Now the upper and lower temples are connected to each other, and each has a main hall. The main hall of the upper temple is the Sakyamuni Hall. It was first built in the Liao Dynasty and renovated in the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). It occupies an area of 1,553 square meters and is one of the largest Buddha halls from the Liao period preserved in China. In the center of the room there are five sculptures arranged in a row at the foot of a lotus. Twenty other sculptures of gods, accompanied by the five main gods, stand bowing to show their respect. The paintings on the wall show stories of Buddhism. The total area of the color frescoes, very well preserved, is 890 square meters. At the top of the hall there are color paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1644 - 1911) depicting dragons, cranes and flowers, all of which are frequent images in Chinese Buddhist legends. The lower temple is simple and primitive. Its main hall is the Bhaga Palace, where Buddhist texts are kept. In the palace there are thirty-one sculptures, of which the most famous is that of the Bodhisattva in a pose of pious prayer, which has a more human than divine resemblance.

Huayan Temple, a protected national heritage site, occupies an important place in the history of Chinese Buddhist culture and architecture. It has been declared a class 4A tourist interest site by the National Tourism Administration. If foreign tourists are interested in religious cultures and architectures, don't miss Huayan Temple. This trip will provide you with an unforgettable experience.