Shisheng Temple

CHINA, Liaoning, Shenyang

This Gelug school temple was built on the orders of Huang Taiji in 1636 during the Later Jin dynasty, and it is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shenyang. Renovations were carried out in 1726 during the Qing dynasty. It was damaged by fire in 1946 and repaired in 1952. It was listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 1963.
The temple faces south and occupies 7,000 sq m with the buildings covering 2,000 sq m. It has two courtyards and the main buildings are situated along the central axis. These include the main temple gate, Heavenly King Hall, and the main hall. On either side there are the bell and drum towers, the Mahakala Tower, stele pavilion, and monastic quarters. The Heavenly King Hall has a hip-and-gable roof, and houses a statue of Maitreya Buddha, behind which there stands Skanda, the Dharma protector. Four colorfully painted Heavenly Kings stand on either side of the hall.
The five-by-three bay main hall has a hip-and-gable roof and is more than 10 m high. The roof is covered in yellow glazed tiles and framed by green tiles. The Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future, Dipamkara, Sakyamuni, and Maitreya, are enshrined within the hall. Next to Maitreya Buddha there is a statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school. The beams are adorned with engravings and paintings, while the ceiling are decorated in Tibetan style.
The Mahakala Tower is situated to the southwest of the main hall. It is a small wooden two-story building with a hip-and-gable roof. Originally the upper story housed a golden statue of Mahakala, which was removed in 1946. The Buddha statue that replaced it was created in 1990 and is only made of clay.