Wofo Temple
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Wofo Temple (simplified Chinese: 卧佛寺; traditional Chinese: 卧佛寺; pinyin: Wòfó Sì) is a Buddhist temple located in the Beijing Botanical Garden 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Beijing, China. The temple is best known as the location of the 'Recumbent Buddha' a large statue of the Buddha lying down created in 1321.
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[edit] History
The temple was first built in the 7th century and known as the Doulu temple. During the following centuries temple was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times while also undergoing name changes. The current incarnation dates from 1734. The temple's first recumbent Buddha was carved in carved in sandstone. In 1321, during the Yuan dynasty the sandstone carving was replaced by a 5.2 meter long statue made of bronze and weighing 2.5 tons.[1]
[edit] Layout
Following a north-south axis, the temple contains an entrance gate followed by three halls. On either side of the axis are buildings used by the monks for lodging as well as to accommodate guests. The first hall is called the Tianwang hall, the second the Sanshi Buddha hall, followed by the Recumbent Buddha hall.[2]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Liao Pin and Wu Wen. The Temples of Beijing. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 2006.
