Wuyou Temple

CHINA, Sichuan, Leshan

The temple is located on Wuyoushan Mountain and was established during the Tang dynasty (618–907) by Master Huijing. It was destroyed twice in wartime, once during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and again during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). The present temple buildings date mainly from the end of the Qing dynasty to modern times. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The temple is built following the contours of the mountain. The principal buildings include the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Amitabha Hall, Great Hero Hall, Tathagata Hall, and Avalokitesvara Hall. Other buildings include the Arhat Hall and the bell and drum pavilions. The Great Hero Hall has a single-eave flush gable roof. Camphor wood statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva are enshrined within the hall. The Tathagata Hall is two stories high and has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. The first story houses the Five Dhyani Buddhas, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Twenty-Four Heavenly Beings carved from wood, while the second story is the sutra repository. The beams at the front of the Tathagata Hall feature themes such as the landscapes of Lingyunshan Mountain and Wuyoushan Mountain. They are considered to have great historical value. The Arhat Hall is located higher up the mountain and houses the temple’s oldest and most valuable artifact: a bronze statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva manifested in a wrathful form. The statue is about 2 m high and was made during the Tang dynasty.