Zhangye Buddha Temple: Hidden Germ on A Cross-Roads of Pilgrims

#chinatraveltips Zhangye Great Buddha Temple, located in Great Buddha Temple Lane, Minzhu West Street, Ganzhou District, Zhangye City, Gansu Province, is a Buddhist temple with a history of nearly a thousand years.It was founded in the first year of Yong'an, Chongzong of Western Xia. It was originally named "Gaye Tathagata Temple”, and later renamed "Baojue Temple” and "Hongren Temple". It was not named “Great Buddha Temple” until the Ming Dynasty. Historical background and cultural significance. Zhangye Great Buddha Temple is not only an important carrier of Buddhist culture, but also carries a deep historical background and religious beliefs.The main hall of the temple enshrines a huge reclining Buddha with a length of tens of meters, carved from a whole poplar wood, with a realistic shape, showing the superb skills of ancient craftsmen. In addition, the temple also preserves a large number of Buddhist classics and precious Buddha statues, such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, etc. These Buddha statues have different shapes and expressions, which together constitute a solemn and sacred Buddhist world. Architectural features and main attractions The architectural style of Zhangye Great Buddha Temple is unique. The main building, the Great Buddha Hall, adopts a traditional wooden structure, and the roof is covered with glazed tiles, which is solemn and elegant. The Great Buddha Hall enshrines the largest existing indoor clay reclining Buddha in China-the statue of Sakyamuni Nirvana. The Buddha has a length of 35 meters and a shoulder width of 7.5 meters. The shape is plump and beautiful, the gold makeup is painted, the face is covered with gold, and the right side is lying down, with a quiet and serene expression. In addition, there are buildings such as the Tibetan Sutra Pavilion and the earthen pagoda in the temple. A large number of Buddhist classics are preserved in the Tibetan Sutra Pavilion, and the earthen pagoda is the iconic building of the temple. Travel information The Zhangye Great Buddha Temple Scenic Area covers an area of more than 30,000 square meters and is one of the largest and most preserved Western Xia royal monasteries in the country. Scenic area has the largest Western Xia Buddhist building in the country, the Great Buddha Hall, the largest indoor wooden tire clay sculpture reclining Buddha in Asia, and the most complete first-engraved and first-printed copy of "Daming Sanzang Holy Sect Beizang" in China, with a collection of more than 10,000 precious cultural relics of all kinds. Scenic area is open to the public from 07:00-18:30 every day, and the transportation is convenient. There are many bus lines nearby.