Covering an area of 23,000 square meters,Puning Temple(Temple of Universal Peace) is the furthest north of the eight remaining outer temples of Chengde.The temple has also in its time been known as the Big Buddha Temple (Dafo si),a reference to the huge statue of Avalokiteshvara,Goddess of Mercy.
Puning Temple and its history
The Puning Temple,or Temple of Universal Peace of Chengde,Hebei province,China (commonly called the Big Buddha Temple) is a Qing Dynasty Buddhist temple complex built in 1755, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796 AD) to show the Qing's respect to the ethnic minorities.It is located near the Chengde Mountain Resort,and alongside the equally famed Putuo Zongcheng Temple, it is one of the "Eight Outer Temples" of Chengde.
The construction style of Puning Temple
Much how the Putuo Zongcheng Temple was modeled after the Tibetan Potala Palace,the Puning Temple was modeled after the Samye Monastery, the sacred Lamaist site in Tibet.The front temple was constructed in the Chinese style,although the temple complex follows both Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles.The Puning Temple also houses the world's tallest wooden sculpture of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (22.28-meter-high and 110-ton),hence the Puning Temple is often nicknamed the "Big Buddha Temple".The complex features temple halls,pavilions,drum towers and bell towers.
The statues in Puning Temple
In the Dacheng Pavilion,which is a standard Tibetan-style building with a height of 36.75 meters.Inside the pavilion stands the gilded statue of the Kwan-yin Bodhisattva with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, which is carved with the wood of pines,cypresses,elms,basses and firry lumbers.
It is the largest wooden statue in China and has been recorded in the Guinness Encyclopedia.Shancai and Longnv stand in mellow posture on the two sides of the statue.A Miaoyan Room and Scripture-telling Hall flanking the pavilion were for the emperors to listen to the scripture and have a rest.
RSS |
