A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
and various other
buddhas and
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, š©šš„šŗš²š¢šš¢ššÆ (BrahmÄ«), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
s. It is encountered throughout
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
.
Names
From their importance and use, they are often simply known in English as the temples' "Main" or "Great Halls". The term "Mahavira Hall", also encountered as "MahÄvÄ«ra Hall" or "Hall of the MahÄvÄ«ra", is a reverse translation, employing the original
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
term in place of its Chinese or English equivalent. They are also known as the Precious Hall of the Great Hero, the Hall of Great Strength, or the Daxiongbao Hall. Less often, a main hall is called an "
adytum
The adyton ( , 'innermost sanctuary, shrine', ) or (Latin) was a restricted area within the cella of a Greek or Roman temple. The ''adyton'' was frequently a small area at the farthest end of the cella from the entrance: at Delphi it measured ...
", after the equivalent area in
Greco
Greco may refer to:
People
* Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname
* a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name
* Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria
Wine ...
-
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete state. Today they remain "the most obvious symbol of ...
s. It is also sometimes misunderstood as the "Great, Powerful, and Precious Palace".
[.]
Description
Mahavira Hall is the main hall of a Buddhist temple. It is generally located in the north of the Heavenly King Hall and serves as the core architecture of the whole temple and also a place for monks to practice. Statues of
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
, the founder of Buddhism are enshrined in the hall.
Sakyamuni statues enshrined in the Mahavira Hall have three modeling postures. The first is sitting in the lotus posture with the left hand placing on the left foot and the right hand dropping naturally, representing that he has sacrificed all he has for people before he becomes Buddha. All these can only be proved by the ground. This posture of the statues is called "posture of becoming Buddha" (). The second is sitting in the lotus posture with the left hand placing on the left foot and the right hand's finger ringing. This is called "posture of preaching" (), showing his postures when preaching. The third is a standing Buddha with the left hand dropping, signifying the hope that all people can fulfill their wishes, and the right hand stretching arm, indicating all people can relieve their sufferings. This posture is called "Sandalwood Buddha" (). Usually two disciples' statues are placed next to the statue of Sakyamuni, the older is called "
Mahakassapa" and the middle-aged is called "
Änanda
Änanda (5th4th century BCE) was the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Änanda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist '' Sutta-Piį¹ ...
".
At the back of Sakyamuni's statue, three statues of Bodhisattva facing the north are usually enshrined. They are
Manjusri
MaƱjuÅrÄ« (Sanskrit: ą¤®ą¤ą„ą¤ą„ą¤¶ą„ą¤°ą„) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajƱÄ'' (wisdom) in MahÄyÄna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. MaƱjuÅrÄ« is also known by the fuller name of MaƱjuÅrÄ«kumÄra ...
Bodhisattva riding a lion,
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva
Samantabhadra (lit. "Universal Worthy", "All Good") is a great bodhisattva in Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattva MaƱjuÅrÄ«, he forms the Shakyamuni Triad in Mahayana Buddhis ...
riding a white elephant and
Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of AvalokiteÅvara ( sa, ą¤
ą¤µą¤²ą„ą¤ą¤æą¤¤ą„ą¤¶ą„ą¤µą¤°) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
Bodhisattva riding a dragon. Some temples also set island scene behind Sakyamuni's statue and only enshrine the statue Guanyin Bodhisattva with a clean vase of water and a willow branch in it.
Examples
* The Main Hall of
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
's
Jing'an Temple
Jing'an Temple () is an esoteric Tangmi Buddhist temple on the West Nanjing Road in Shanghai. Jing'an District, where it is located, is named after the temple.
History
The original temple was first built in 247 AD in the Wu Kingdom during ...
* The Main Hall of
Datong's
Shanhua Temple
Shanhua Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. The temple was first founded during the early 8th century of the Tang dynasty, but its earliest surviving building dates from the 11th century. The temple was heavil ...
* The Main Hall of
Gaobeidian's
Kaishan Temple
* The Main Hall of
Yixian's
Fengguo Temple
* The Main Hall of
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
's
Ocean Banner Temple
See also
*
Hall of Four Heavenly Kings
The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings or Four Heavenly Kings Hall (), referred to as Hall of Heavenly Kings, is the first important hall inside a shanmen (mount gate) in Chinese Buddhist temples and is named due to the Four Heavenly Kings statues enshr ...
, another common hall in Chinese temples
*
Hall of Guanyin
The Hall of Guanyin or Guanyin Hall ( or ) is the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples and mainly for enshrining Guanyin (AvalokiteÅvara). Guanyin, also called "Guanshiyin" (), "Guanshizizai" (), "Guanzizai" (), etc., is the at ...
*
Japanese Buddhist Main Halls, some of which are Chinese-style Mahavira Halls
References
External links
{{Buddhist temples in China
Buddhist architecture
Buddhism in China
