Fujian Quanzhou Chengtian Temple

Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou, China Kai元temple, Q u按周

On a rainy day we visited the Kaiyuan Temple 開元寺; Kaiyuan Si; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khai-gôan-sī), also known as the Ziyun Hall 紫雲堂; Zǐyún táng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chí-hûn-tông), is a Buddhist temple on West Street, Quanzhou, China, the largest in Fujian province.

Although it is known as a Hindu-Buddhist temple, on account of added Tamil-Hindu influences, the main statue in the most important hall is that of Vairocana Buddha, the main Buddha according to Huayen-buddhism. What is now called the Mahavira Hall (Mahavira - the Great and Strong) is in fact the Vairocana Hall.

It was originally built in 685 or 686 during the Tang Dynasty. Behind its main hall Mahavira Hall”, there are some columns with fragments from a Shiva temple built in 1283 by the Tamil community in Quanzhou dedicated to Hindu God Shiva.

The carvings are dispersed across five primary sites in Quanzhou and the neighboring areas. They were made in the South Indian style, and share close similarities with 13th-century temples constructed in the Chola Nadu region in Tamil Nadu. Nearly all of the carvings were carved with greenish-gray granite, which was widely available in the nearby hills and used in the region's local architecture.

In 1983, the Kaiyuan Temple was designated as a national temple.

video: Stephen Smith
music: Kevin MacLeod -
reporter: Ilona Kauremszky


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