Linyang Temple

CHINA, Fujian, Fuzhou

Linyang Temple is one of the Five Major Temples of Chan Buddhism in Fuzhou. The temple was built in 936 during the Later Jin dynasty. However, according to inscriptions, the nearby Yinshan Stupa was built by Master Yinshan’s disciples in 561 during the Liang dynasty. If this funerary stupa is part of the temple, then the correct founding date for the temple would be before 561. Regardless, by the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was in ruins. It was not until 1612 that reconstruction of the chanting hall started. The existing buildings were constructed in 1912 by the joint efforts of Abbot Guyue of Yongquan Temple and the monk Yuanlang. It was listed as a key Buddhist temple in the Han region of China in 1983.
The temple occupies more than 1.1 ha and the buildings take up more than 7,700 sq m. The layout of the buildings is similar to that at Yongquan Temple. Along the central axis there are the Heavenly King Hall, Great Hero Hall, and the Dharma Hall, which is also a sutra repository. Along the sides, there are more than twenty buildings, including the bell and drum towers, Patriarch Hall, Sangharama Hall, Ksitigarbha Hall, meditation hall, chanting hall, and Ancient Moon Compound. In addition, there is the Yinshan Stupa, Abbot Stupa, and Repayment of Kindness Stupa. The five-bay wide Dharma Hall has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. The Yinshan Stupa is circular and constructed from stone.