LINGYIN TEMPLE

This Buddhist set of 326 apr. J is one of the ten temples of the Zen sect in China.

The site is an important regional place of worship. During its 1 600 years of history, the Temple of the Retirement of Souls suffered numerous destruction. The current buildings date back to the Qing Dynasty (XVII), but architecture reflects Tang style (618-906). Space organization follows the traditional plan of Buddhist temples. At the front, the Buddha's Buddha - the Buddha of the Future - (Hall of the Oven Heavenly Kings) greets the faithful. The Buddha surrounded by its four guards is protected from Skanda, a 800-year-old statue, the guardian of Buddhist law and order. Then comes the Grande Salle (Da Dian), which houses a statue representing the 19,60 m high Sakyamuni Buddha and was completed in 1956 and consists of 24 pieces of camphor wood. It would be a replica of a statue dating from the Tang Dynasty. The head and hands of Sakyamuni are made of a frame covered with linen canvas and lacquered varnish coatings: their very light weight allowed them to produce these graceful gestures.

Right in front of the entrance is the "Pic venu" (Feilai Feng 飞来峰). Tradition dictates that Hui Li, an Indian monk present at Hangzhou during the construction of the temple, amazed at the resemblance of the monument with an Indian building. II exclaimed: " But this is Sage Vautour Hill in India. She has stolen so far». The massif consists of four caves whose walls are carved from Buddhist representations dating from the th and th centuries. More than 300 images are admired, including magnificent examples of Yuan rock art (1271-1368).

The laughing Maitreya Buddha high-relief, carried out towards the year mile, is the most famous of the whole.

Lingyin Temple was narrowly saved during the Cultural Revolution. Prime Minister Zhou Enlai decided to preserve this unique historic place. The temple was reopened in the early 1970 s.