Monday, September 22, 2008

Jing'an Temple

Jing'an Temple is a Buddhist temple on , in Jing'an District, Shanghai, China.

History


The first temple was built in 247 AD, at the time of the Kingdom of Wu, during the Three Kingdoms period. Originally located beside Suzhou Creek, it was relocated to its current site in 1216 during the . The current temple was rebuilt once in the Qing Dynasty. It's most recent renovation was in late 2003.

Features include


Three Southern-style main halls, each with its own courtyard, dating from the most recent reconstruction :
* Hall of Heavenly Kings
* Hall of the Three Saints
* Hall of Virtuous Works

* The Precious Hall of the Great Hero, or main hall, currently under construction. When completed, it will be four to five stories tall
* To the east of the main hall is the Guanyin Hall. In the center of the hall is a statue of the goddess made out of camphor wood. Standing on a -shaped base, it is 6.2 meters tall and weighs 5 tons
* Opposite to the hall is the Jade Buddha Hall, where a 3.8-meter jade sits in the center. It is the largest sitting jade Buddha statue in the country
* Abbot's Chambers
* Ming Dynasty copper bell , weighing 3.5 tons
* Stone Buddhas from the Southern and Northern Dynasties period

Transportation


Jing'an Temple can be reached by taking Shanghai Metro Line 2 to .

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