Lingyinsi

Lingyinsi is an ancient Chinese monastery, also called the “Temple of Soul Refuge”. It has existed for more than a thousand years on the territory of modern China. It occupies large areas in the northwestern part of Lake Xihu. Thanks to the beautiful pristine nature, this place once received its purpose, and since then people have been striving to get here to find peace of mind.

The History of Lingyinsa

According to one of the legends, the monastery was founded by one poor monk, who did not earn his living by collecting brushwood. One day, on a warm day, he, as always, was busy with his business. He felt hot, and he took off his outer clothing and hung it on a tree. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a goose appeared, he grabbed his clothes and flew away, the monk chased after him. So, making his way through the thicket of the forest, he reached a beautiful place. The monk decided that this was a sign from above and began construction of the Lingyinsi Monastery.

According to more official data, the monastery was founded in 326 by a Buddhist monk of Indian origin, who was amazed by the beauty of the area and encouraged local residents to build it. To attract more attention, he came up with a story about monkeys living in these places - white and black. To everyone's surprise, they were discovered in the caves.

Features of Lingyinxi

The flourishing of the temple complex occurred during the reign of Emperor Qianliu, who provided the monastery with his patronage. At that time, the territory housed a large number of buildings for various purposes and was home to more than 3,000 monks. Throughout the history of its existence, the monastery was either closed or started working again, it was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt.

In 1949, one of the large halls collapsed, most likely due to the dilapidation of the structure and the activity of termites. In the difficult post-war years, many buildings needed restoration, so it was decided to close the temple. Since 1951, reconstruction and active restoration of the temple began. The government has allocated significant funds for this. Today, Lingyinsi attracts tourists from all over China and other countries around the world. People come not only to worship local shrines, but also to admire the beautiful nature.

5 main halls of Lingyinsi

The main temple consists of five main halls for worship. The first hall, which is also the entrance to the temple, is called the Hall of the Five Heavenly Kings. In the hall there is an ancient statue of Buddha, it is about 800 years old, next to it are statues of the heavenly kings. After passing through the courtyard, you can enter the second hall, its main attraction is a wooden statue covered with gold. The statue was carved from camphor wood in 1956, today it is the tallest wooden statue in all of China, standing more than 30 meters high.

The third hall is dedicated to the healing aspect of Buddha; pilgrims come here to ask for health for themselves and their loved ones. Another hall was built not so long ago in 2002; it contains three statues depicting sages. In the last fifth room there is a sculptural composition made of bronze. It consists of 500 arhats (enlightened ones). The composition is considered the tallest and most massive of all similar structures in the world.