Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees in Guanzhou, China
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees Slideshow
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Having a long history of about 1,400 years, the Temple of
the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist
temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road
(meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). It has a rich
collection of cultural-relics and is renowned both at home
and abroad.
Originally built in 537, the temple has been rebuilt several
times, and the name has also been changed several times from
Changshou Temple (meaning Longevity Temple) to Jinghui
Temple and finally the current name. It is a name given by
the great litterateur Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty (960 -
1279). It is said that he visited the temple while returning
to the north. During the visit, he found six banyan trees
there particularly striking. The vitality of the trees put
him in a good mood and cheered him up. When the abbot of the
temple invited him to suggest a name, Su Dongpo wrote down
its present name. Finally, the temple changed its former
name (Jinghui Temple) to the name Temple of the Six Banyan
Trees. A pagoda in the temple is known variously as Six
Banyan Pagoda or Flowery Pagoda.
After entering by the mountain gate, the Tianwang Hall is
the first hall you will see. The Laughing Buddha is there
with smile all over his face to welcome visitors. Behind it
is the Weituo Hall. According to legend, Weituo was a
general who recaptured the Buddhist relics which had been
stolen. He keeps a straight face, looking very serious and
frightful, in distinct contrast with the Laughing Buddha.
The architecture that catches the visitors' eyes most is the
Six Banyan Pagoda. It is a pagoda where Buddhist relics are
placed. Its roofs curve upwards and look like dark red
flower petals. The tip of the pagoda is like stamens, while
the whole construction looks like a huge stigma high in the
air. Therefore, people like to call it the Flowery Pagoda.
The pagoda not only has a nice appearance, but also provides
visitors a good place to overlook enchanting scenery around.
To the west of the Six Banyan Pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall
- the main hall of the temple. The three biggest copper
Buddhist statues placed there are among the biggest and most
ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong. The middle one is
Sakyamuni, to the left, the Amitabha and to the right, the
Apothecary Buddha. They stand for present, past and future.
Burning joss sticks is a big event when visiting the temple.
Thus every year on the Chinese traditional Spring Festival
and Lantern Festival, the temple becomes a busy area.
Numerous people queue to burn the first joss stick in order
to be blessed by gods in the coming year.
(ChinaTravelGuide.com)
