Photos of Shanhua Temple

Shanhua Temple, located in the southwest of Datong City, was built in the Tang Dynasty, then destroyed in the war, and began to rebuild in the Liao and Jin periods. Today's Shanhua Temple is a relatively complete Liao and Jin monastery in my country. The main buildings in the temple, the Three Holy Halls and the Daxiong Hall, are all located on the central axis in the north-south direction. Unlike many temples, Shanhua Temple does not have a gate (gate). The Daxiong Hall in the temple is the largest temple in Shanhua Temple. It was built in the Liao Dynasty and rebuilt in the Jin Dynasty. Coming to the hall, there are "five-sided Buddha statues" enshrined on the front. The arrangement from west to east is: the Buddha in the north, the Buddha in the west, the Buddha in the middle, the Buddha in the south, and the Buddha in the east. The Five Fang Buddhas are a group of deities worshipped in the "tantric sect" of Buddhism. There are also statues of twenty-four heavens standing on the brick platforms on both sides of the hall. These statues are all fine products of the Jin Dynasty. Each of these masterpieces of the unity of man and god is about three meters high. Some are wearing armour, some are wearing official robes, some are round, and their belts are floating. The expressions of the respected are vivid. On the wall of the hall, there are also murals painted during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The contents of the murals are all Buddhist stories. In addition, the statues of the "Three Saints of Huayan" enshrined in the Three Holy Halls of the temple, Sakyamuni Buddha, Samantabhadra and Manjusri, are also vivid and lifelike. In the square in front of the temple gate, you can also see the Five Dragon Walls, which were relocated in the 1980s. The Five Dragon Walls are relics from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The five dragons in the wall are churning in the turbulent clouds and mist. Dragon", holding a fire bead in his arms, his head facing straight ahead, facing the ancient temple.