Huishan Temple

CHINA, Jiangsu, Wuxi

The temple was founded in 423 during the Liu Song dynasty. At its highest point, the temple had over 1,000 monastics in residence. It has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. After it was destroyed in wartime in 1860 during the Qing dynasty, the site was converted to a memorial for war heroes and after 1912 it became a martyrs shrine. It was listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 1982.
The temple is built along the slope of a mountain and its main structures include the main temple gate, Guhua Entrance Gate, Vajra Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall (also called Datong Hall), Yunqi Building, Great Compassion Pavilion, and imperial stele pavilion. There are two sutra pillars located about 10 m apart on either side of the Guhua Entrance Gate. They are constructed from 15 blocks of stone of varying sizes. The one in the south has the Usnisavijaya Dharani Sutra carved upon it. It was made in 876 during the Tang dynasty, and is 6.3 m high with a base diameter of 1.5 m. The one to the north features the Sitatapatra Usnisa Dharani and was made in 1070 during the Song dynasty. It is 6.2 m high and has a base diameter of 1.4 m.
In recent years, temple administrators have been consulting historical records in order to carry out an extensive restoration. The Vajra Hall combines both Tang and Song architectural styles. The Heavenly King Hall is an imitation of Ming dynasty (1368–1644) architecture. The Great Hero Hall has been fitted with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof.