introduce
Dazhao Temple, located in the south of the old city of Hohhot, was presided over by Alatan Khan, the leader of the Mongolian Tumed tribe in the Ming Dynasty, in the eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1580). The temple belongs to the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism (Yellow Sect in Lamaism), and is an earlier Lamaism temple built in Hohhot. The architectural style of Dazhao Temple adopts the form of temples in Han Dynasty. The main buildings include Shanmen, Tianwang Hall, Bodhi Pass Hall, Nine Buildings, Sutra Hall, Buddhist Hall, etc. Among them, the Sutra Hall and Buddhist Hall are connected together, collectively referred to as " Great Hall". On the square in front of the temple, there is areleaseJia Bata.
Dazhao Temple was revered as the "Imperial Temple" in the Qing Dynasty. Because Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty stayed here, and Emperor Kangxi also lived here for a few days, and cast a gold medal of "Long Live the Emperor", which was placed in front of the silver Buddha statue in the main hall (now the light in the hall is very dark, tourists may not be able to see this piece) Gold medal), in order to show respect to the emperor, since then the reincarnation regulations of living Buddhas have been cancelled, and it has become one of the few temples in Mongolia that does not have living Buddhas. The main hall of the temple has also been replaced with yellow glazed tiles.
When visiting Dazhao Temple, you must see the "three wonders" such as silver Buddha, dragon carvings, and murals in the temple. When you come to the main hall of the temple, you can see a "Sakyamuni statue" made of 30,000 taels of pure silver. The Silver Buddha was built in the fourteenth year of Wanli (1586) and was made by Nepalese craftsmen. When the silver statue was completed that year, Sonam Gyatso visited Dazhao Temple in person and held a "consecration ceremony" for the silver Buddha. Therefore, Dazhao Temple was also known as "Silver Buddha Temple".
In front of the silver Buddha seat, there are two vivid golden panlongs, about 10 meters high, carved on two pillars reaching the sky respectively. Looking from the bottom up, the two dragons fly towards each other, with their teeth and claws open. This is the dragon sculpture. According to legend, dragon carvings are refined from clay and slurry stones, and the craftsmanship is very exquisite, which is a fine product in Buddhist temples.
As for the murals that cover the walls of scripture halls and Buddhist halls, it is said that they are made of mineral materials, and the color has not faded to this day. The content of the murals is based on stories in Buddhist scriptures, depicting various scenes of heaven, earth and hell. The images of Buddha and characters painted in the painting are vivid and lifelike.
Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the 15th day of June in the lunar calendar, Dazhao Temple will carry out a huge statue of Maidha Buddha (future Buddha) collected in the temple and hang it in front of the Buddhist hall. When hanging the big Buddha, a Dharma meeting should be held in front of the Buddha statue, and the monks will chant scriptures, pray and play Dharma music.
opening hours
08:30-17:00 all year round