Foguang Temple

introduce

Foguang Temple was rebuilt in the tenth year of Tang Xuanzong's Dazhong (856). In terms of construction time, it is second only to the main hall of Nanchan Temple in Wutai County built in the third year of Tang Jianzhong (782 A.D.). It is the only existing wooden structure in the country. Construction ranks second. The Tang Dynasty architecture, Tang Dynasty sculptures, Tang Dynasty murals and Tang Dynasty inscriptions of Foguang Temple are of high historical and artistic value, and are known as the "Four Wonders". The halls of Foguang Temple are tall, stacked on top of each other, and the layout is sparse, with clear priorities. The East Hall stands on a high platform, and there are 35 colored sculptures from the Tang Dynasty on the Buddhist altar in the hall. Sakyamuni Buddha sits in the middle of the Buddhist altar, Amitabha Buddha is on the right, Maitreya Buddha is on the left, and on the left and right are Samantabhadra and Manjusri Bodhisattvas. This is different from ordinary temples, where Manjushri is on the left and Samantabhadra on the right, but in Foguang Temple and all the temples in Mount Wutai, Manjushri is on the right and Samantabhadra on the left. The bodhisattvas serving in the hall and the offering Bodhisattvas are all daughters, with a little vermilion dot in the middle of the crooked eyebrows, which looks quite charming. In front of the inner wall surrounding the Buddhist altar, there are five hundred arhats lined up, shaped for the Ming Dynasty, and they are "small works" of about the same size. What is worth noting is a Tang Dynasty mural on the back of the Buddha seat, which is 80 cm long and 30 cm high. Although this painting has lasted for more than a thousand years, it is still fresh in color. There is also a mural painted in the fourth year of Xuanhe (1122) of the Northern Song Dynasty, which is also quite distinctive. There are seven round lights in the painting, and there are 10 Buddha statues in each round light, and the names of each Buddha are written in the square frame under the round light. The title on the left one: "Liu Taizhi, a disciple of Foguang Zhuang who believed in Buddhism... at the beginning of March in the fourth year of Xuanhe..." These murals, together with Buddha statues, some black marks under the beams and the building of the East Hall, are known as the "Four Four Temples" of Foguang Temple. Absolutely".

opening hours

08:30-17:00 all year round

must see tips