Daxingshan Temple

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an

The temple is the birthplace of Vajrayana Buddhism in China. It was built during the rule of Emperor Wu (reigned 265–289) of the Western Jin dynasty and is one of the oldest temples in Xi’an. It was rebuilt in 582 during the Sui dynasty. The temple was one of the three largest translation centers in Chang’an (present day Xi’an) during the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties. Many eminent Indian monks stayed there to undertake the translation work and teach the Dharma. It was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times throughout its history. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The principal buildings include the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, Avalokitesvara Hall, Dharma Hall, sutra repository, and the Putong Pagoda.
The two-story main temple gate was built during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) in the style of a gate tower. It is a brick and timber structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The upper story is three bays wide and one bay deep. The beams beneath the eaves are colorfully painted. The bottom story is rectangular and constructed from brick with an arched doorway in the center.
Behind the Great Hero Hall, there is a bronze statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva from the Heian period (794–1185), a gift from Japan in 1985. Other valuable historical artifacts include a stele of Amoghavajra, which was erected in 780 during the Tang dynasty, and a sandalwood statue of Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara from the Song dynasty (960–1279).