https://nz.trip.com/moments/detail/bronkhorstspruit-30332-120194805?locale=en-NZ
THEO HUGHES

The largest temple in Africa, Nan Hua Temple in South Africa, amazes the world with its Spring Festival temple fair

Nan Hua Temple in South Africa is the largest Buddhist temple in Africa and the headquarters of Fo Guang Shan (Taiwan, China) in Africa. Nan Hua Temple is located in a cultural park in the suburbs of Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng Province, South Africa, about 50 kilometers from the administrative capital Pretoria and about 100 kilometers from the largest city Johannesburg. Originated in 1992, the local government donated 6 hectares of land to Fo Guang Shan for the construction of a Buddhist cultural and educational temple. The construction of Nan Hua Temple began in the same year and officially opened in 2005. Now it covers an area of 2.4 square kilometers, with a grand scale, somewhat similar to the Forbidden City. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Nan Hua Temple held a grand Chinese Culture Carnival. First, a Spring Festival lighting and blessing ceremony was held in the Daxiong Hall, followed by the opening ceremony, including speeches by the host and the Chinese ambassador to South Africa and other special guests, then firecrackers were set off on the Buddha Avenue, and dragon and lion dance performances were held. Finally, at the Chaoshan Hall, there were various multicultural performances by different ethnic groups with different skin colors, which were very exciting. Interestingly, many foreigners also pray to Buddha and are curious or even believe in Buddhism. There are various stalls distributed throughout the venue, such as food, flowers and plants, jewelry, handicrafts, and Buddhist supplies. South Africa, as the rainbow nation, is like a mini United Nations on the spot. Foreigners' lives are also quite boring. As long as there are activities or performances, they will flock to join in the fun, and the scene is very lively. Under normal circumstances when Nan Hua Temple does not hold activities, it is still quite quiet and open. In addition, if friends pay attention, they will find that the three Buddha statues in the Daxiong Hall have black skin. This can also be considered as adapting to local customs, in order to spread the Dharma in Africa. ⏰Opening: Closed on Monday, working days 10:00—14:00, weekends 10:00—15:00 🎫Tickets: Free admission, accept voluntary donations. 🍚Catering: The self-operated Chaoshan Hall provides vegetarian food and coffee☕ 🛏️Accommodation: The self-operated Chaoshan Hall can provide accommodation 🚗Address: You can directly Google Nan Hua Temple or Nan Hua Temple, about 100 kilometers from Johannesburg, the whole journey is high-speed driving only takes about 1 hour, very convenient 🅿️Parking: The area around Nan Hua Temple is quite open, there are many parking spaces, free parking
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*Created by local travelers and translated by TripGenie.
Posted: Feb 20, 2024
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