Fo Guang Shan Yuan Fu Temple

TAIWAN, Chiayi

Yuan Fu means Perfect Blessings. According to a stele inscription, the temple was built in 1833 during the Qing dynasty. The temple was damaged in 1937 during the Sino-Japanese War and was re-established in 1945. In 1948 the government designated the temple as one of the eight scenes and six wonders of Chiayi. Fo Guang Shan was requested to preside over the temple in 1980. The temple was reconstructed in the following year and was renamed Fo Guang Shan Yuan Fu Temple.
The temple consists of the main temple gate, Avatamsaka Hall, Perfect Understanding Hall, and Pure Land Hall. Beside the temple there is the Shrine of Martyrs. The seven-bay wide Avatamsaka Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. There is a veranda surrounding the building. The hall houses the Avatamsaka Triad: Vairocana Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Each figure is seated on a lotus throne and has a canopy at the top. The interior walls are inlaid with the Eighty-Eight Buddhas, thousands of miniature Buddhas, as well as apsaras. The Perfect Understanding Hall contains a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Pure Land Hall was added in 1993. It is five stories high with the first story dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The Shrine of Martyrs is a memorial hall built to honor the bravery of the 503 people who lost their lives in 1786 during the anti-Qing resistance.