Jiechuanglu Temple

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou

Commonly known as Xiyuan (West Garden) Temple, this is one of the more famous temples in Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River). It is also Jiangsu’s largest and best-preserved temple. It was built during the rule of Emperor Zhizheng (reigned 1341–1367) of the Yuan dynasty but declined during the time of Emperor Jiajing (reigned 1521–1566) of the Ming dynasty. When the monk Maolin became the abbot in 1635, he promoted the Vinaya school. The temple was destroyed in wartime in 1860 and was rebuilt during the reigns of Emperor Tongzhi (reigned 1861–1875) and Emperor Guangxu (reigned 1875–1908) of the Qing dynasty. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The principal structures of the temple include the gateway, main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, Arhat Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, Triple Gem Building, and the sutra repository. The three-bay gateway is a wooden structure with stone pillars. There are three sets of eaves, whose corners curve upwards in an exaggerated way, becoming higher than the ridges. The seven-bay wide Great Hero Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. Carved wooden images of Sakyamuni Buddha, the Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha are enshrined within the hall. Behind the Buddha statues there is a screen wall featuring clay images depicting the Fifty-Three Visits of Sudhana.
The Arhat Hall is divided into four sections. There are gilt clay statues of the Five Hundred Arhats lining the wall and sections. A sculpture of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains is also a prominent feature. At the entrance there is a wooden statue of the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed, Four-Headed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Avalokitesvara Hall houses three statues of Avalokitesvara in different styles and materials. The statue in the center was created during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). With its exquisite workmanship, the statue is one of the most valuable works of art in the temple. The sutra repository contains more than 100,000 Buddhist scriptures, including a copy of the Qing Tripitaka brought back by monk Guanghui, as well as a copy of the Surangama Sutra written in his own blood by the monk Shanji during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).