Zhaoren Temple

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xianyang

Zhaoren means Bright Kindness. The temple was built during the rule of Emperor Taizong (reigned 627–649) of the Tang dynasty to commemorate the soldiers that had fought and died in the area. It has been repaired a number of times. The Great Hero Hall was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 1988.
Facing south, the temple consists of the main temple gate, stele pavilion, Great Hero Hall, and subsidiary buildings. The stele pavilion houses two steles and an iron bell cast during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The three-by-three bay Great Hero Hall was built in 628 during the Tang dynasty. It has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered in gray tiles. The roof framework is exposed, showing clearly the six-rafter structure and beams that support the entire roof. There are no internal columns, which is something rarely seen in Chinese architecture. The doors and windows were renovated in later dynasties.
The temple houses a number of valuable artifacts, including three steles from the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) sculpted with images of Buddhas, and a similar stele from 568 of the Northern Zhou dynasty, and another one from the Sui dynasty (581–618). There is also a standing statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva from the Sui dynasty.