Lingyan Temple () is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

located in Changqing District,

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, about north of the city of Tai'an.Valder, 118. The temple grounds are situated in a valley on the western edge of the Taishan range. The Lingyan Temple has a long

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...

, and was one of the main temples in China during the times of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Its most renowned landmarks are the 11th century ''Pìzhī-tǎ'' (辟支塔; "Pizhi Pagoda") and the ''Qiānfó-diàn'' (千佛殿, "Thousand Buddha Hall") which houses a

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

bronze Buddha statue as well as 40 painted clay statues of life-size luohan from the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

.Valder, 119.

History

The original temple was established in the Yongxing reign period (357–358), during the reign of

Fú Jiān The Chinese character ''fu'' (), meaning 'fortune' or 'good luck' is represented both as a Chinese ideograph and, at times, pictorially, in one of its homophonous forms. It is often found on a figurine of the male god of the same name, one of ...

(r. 357–385) of the

Former Qin Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of ...

state. Gaining a greater reputation during the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

(386–534), the temple reached its apex of importance during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907) and

(960–1279). There were over 40 different wooden temple halls located at the temple, composing more than 500 monastic rooms.Lingyan Temple
. From ChinaCulture.org. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. More than 500

Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimo ...

lived at Lingyan Temple during its height. The oldest structures at the site are the various stone

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s and square-based stone

Chinese pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhism, Buddhist, bu ...

in the pavilion style from the Tang dynasty, the 8th century Huichong Pagoda. Of the 167 stone stupas at the temple, no two are identical, and like the luohan statues of the Qiānfó-diàn, have been well preserved. The tallest structure of the temple is the 54 m (177 ft) tall Pìzhī-tǎ, built originally in 753, although the present structure was built from 1056 to 1063.Pizhi Pagoda at Lingyan Temple in Changqing of Shandong Province
. From China.org.cn. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. Although the wooden halls were all reconstructed during the

(1368–1644) and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1912), the stone pedestals at the base of the pillars in the Qiānfó-diàn are the original work of the Tang and Song eras.

Gallery

File:Lingyan Si - Qian Fo Dian.jpg, The exterior of the Qiānfó-diàn (Thousand Buddha Hall) of Lingyan Temple. Notice the elaborate ''

dougong ''Dougong'' (Chinese language, Chinese: 斗拱; pinyin: ''dǒugǒng''; lit. 'cap ndblock') is a structural element of interlocking wooden Bracket (architecture), brackets, important in traditional Chinese architecture for both its struct ...

'' brackets supporting the pent, shingled roof. File:Stupas at Lingyan Si.jpg, Some of the 167

s in the stupa forest at Lingyan, some as old as the

(618 - 907) while some date as late as the

(1644 - 1911). File:Jinan 2009 1499.jpg, This squared stupa (742-755 AD,

) marks the burial of monk Hui Chong, who led the monastery during his lifetime. File:Jinan 2009 1491.jpg, The corners of the pagoda display dour guardian telamons such as this, that symbolically hold up the entire structure File:View on Lingyan Si.jpg, From a cliffside of nearby

Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the ''Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...

, a view onto Lingyan Temple and Pìzhī-tǎ (Pizhi Pagoda)

Notes

References

*Valder, Peter. (2002). ''Gardens in China''. Portland: The Timber Press, Inc. .

External links

Lingyan Temple at ChinaCulture.org
{{coord, 36, 21, 46, N, 116, 58, 41, E, type:landmark_region:CN-37, display=title 8th-century Buddhist temples Buildings and structures completed in 1063 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1060s 11th-century Buddhist temples Song dynasty architecture Tang dynasty Buddhist temples Buddhist temples in Jinan Tourist attractions in Jinan Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shandong

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links