Zhiyuan Temple (Mount Jiuhua)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zhiyuan Temple | |
|---|---|
祗园寺 | |
 The Mahavira Hall at Zhiyuan Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Location | Mount Jiuhua, Qingyang County, Anhui |
| Country | China |
 Interactive map of Zhiyuan Temple | |
| Coordinates | 30°29′31″N 117°48′15″E / 30.491865°N 117.804255°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Chinese architecture |
| Established | Jiajing period (1522–1566) |
Zhiyuan Temple (simplified Chinese: 祗园寺; traditional Chinese: 祗園寺; pinyin: Zhīyuán Sì) is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Jiuhua, in Qingyang County, Anhui, China.[1] Alongside Ganlu Temple, Baisui Palace and Dongyan Chan Temple are honoured as the "Four Buddhist Temple on Mount Jiuhua".
The name of the temple is cited from Buddhist Stories, which says that Gautama Buddha resided in a monastery named "Zhiyuan" (祗园) or "Guduyuan" (孤独园) or Jetavana for over twenty years.[2]
History
Zhiyuan Temple was first built in the Jiajing period (1522–1566) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and went through many changes and repairs through the following Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Most of the present structures in the temple were repaired or built in the Qing dynasty.[2] In 1841, during the reign of Daoguang Emperor (1840–1850) in the Qing dynasty, abbot Longshan (隆山) died. His body became a mummy but was destroyed by the Red Guards in the Cultural Revolution.[3]
The temple was originally named "Zhishu'an" (祗树庵) and renamed "Zhiyuan Temple" after the extension under the leadership of monk Dagen (大根).[3]
Zhiyuan Temple has been designated as a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area by the State Council of China in 1983. On October 28, 2014, it was classified as a municipal cultural unit by the local government.
