Wanfo Hall

CHINA, Beijing

Wanfo stands for Ten Thousand Buddhas. The original temple was built in 770 during the Tang dynasty, but was soon destroyed in war. The early Jin dynasty (1115–1234) saw its restoration but it was destroyed once again during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). In 1516 during the Ming dynasty, the hall was again rebuilt, and this Wanfo Hall was constructed on a platform in front of the entrance of Water Hole Cave. Stone reliefs dating to the Tang dynasty that were once on the nearby cliff were placed inside the building and inlaid into the back wall and the two gables. The reliefs depict Manjusri and Samantabhadra with an assembly of thousands of Bodhisattvas. Along with the stone carvings found in Water Hole Cave and the pagodas, Wanfo Hall was listed as a National Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.
The interior of Wanfo Hall is beamless and was built in the typical Ming dynasty (1368–1644) style. The three-bay wide building is constructed entirely from brick and stone, and it has a hip-and-gable roof. Both the doors and windows are arched and made from white marble. The stone reliefs of Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and the assembly of thousands of Bodhisattvas are formed by 31 rectangular white marble bricks. The entire relief is 23.8 m long and 2.4 m high.
Water Hole Cave is formed naturally and contains a spring, which is considered one of the largest underground spring water sources in Beijing. Inside the cave, Buddhist scriptures dating back to the Sui dynasty (581–618) are carved on the walls. A pagoda is located on each side of Wanfo Hall. The one on the left is the octagonal Flower Pagoda, which was built in 1070 during the Liao dynasty. It is about 20 m high. The one on the right is the seven-tier, octagonal, brick Relic Pagoda of Master Linggong, constructed during the Yuan dynasty.