Dule Temple

Located in Jixian City, dule temple is one of the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in China, and is the oldest high-rise wooden pavilion building in China.

Dule temple palace, built in 1753, is also known as Qianlong palace. It is the place where the emperors of Qing Dynasty took a rest on their way to visit Dongling mausoleum. It is also the only palace in Tianjin.

Dule Temple

Dule temple, also known as Dafo temple, is located in Jizhou District, Tianjin city, China. It is one of the three remaining temples of Liao Dynasty in China and one of the famous ancient buildings in China. Although dule temple is a famous temple for thousands of years, the history of the temple is very remote, and its origin can not be examined. The earliest history of the temple can be traced back to the tenth year of Zhenguan (636 AD).

Dule temple covers a total area of 16000 square meters. The two oldest buildings in the temple, Shanmen and Guanyin Pavilion, were rebuilt in 984 A.D. In 1930, Dole Temple became famous both at home and abroad because it was investigated and announced by Japanese scholar Guan yezhen and Chinese scholar Liang Sicheng.

Dule temple is a national AAAA scenic spot, one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and a special protection level historic building approved by Tianjin Municipal People's government.

Historical evolution

Although the dule temple is a famous temple for thousands of years, the history of the temple is very slim, and its fate is unknown. The earliest can be traced back to the tenth year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (AD 636). An Lushan rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and swore here. It is said that he got the name of the temple because he "thought of being alone but not with the people".

In the 25th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1595 AD), when Jinshi Wang Yu bi was in charge of Jizhou, there was a large-scale renovation of dule temple.

In 1745 A.D., Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty visited the dule temple and wrote the poem "Ji Ti dule Temple", and later wrote the poem "dule Temple: when the reconstruction was completed, the road would be at rest". In the Qing Dynasty, the dule temple was once a forbidden area, and civilians were not allowed to enter.

After the revolution of 1911, the dule Temple returned to the people. In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917 AD), Xiyuan was allocated as a normal school for educational purposes.

In 1925, the Shaanxi army came to Jixian and stationed in dule temple, which was the beginning of the garrison in the temple.

In 1928, Jixian security team of Beiyang government was stationed in dule temple, which was damaged.

In the spring of 1929, the army stationed in Sunbu, a warlord, did not leave until the spring of 1929.

In 1931, the whole temple was allocated to Jixian rural normal school, including Guanyin Pavilion, Shanmen and dongxiyuan. The East and West courtyards and the rear main hall were all converted into school buildings, while the Guanyin Pavilion and the Mountain Gate remained intact.

On May 29th, 1931, when Japanese scholar Guan yezhen drove to the eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty to investigate Jixian County, he accidentally found an old building by the side of the road through the window, so he stopped to enter through the side door. Guan yezhen, who came to dule Temple by chance, immediately recognized that it was a very old Liao Dynasty building. In the same year, Liang Sicheng, a Chinese architect, also planned to visit Jixian. However, due to the fact that the packing was just finished and the current situation was turbulent, he gave up.

In 1932, Liang Sicheng's plan to investigate the dule temple was finally completed. After the investigation, he collated and published academic papers, which made the dule Temple famous at home and abroad.

In 1961, dule temple was listed in the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the people's Republic of China.

In 2003, dule Temple association was restored, and in 2009, it was listed as Tianjin intangible cultural heritage.

architectural composition

The mountain gate and Guanyin Pavilion of dule temple were built in Liao Dynasty, and others were built in Ming and Qing Dynasty. The architecture of the whole temple is divided into three parts: the East, the middle and the West; the East and the West are respectively the monk's house and the palace; the middle part is the main building of the temple, which is composed of Baishan gate, Guanyin Pavilion, East and west auxiliary hall, etc. between the mountain gate and the main hall, the corridor is connected. The gate is three rooms wide and two rooms deep. The Dougong is equivalent to half of the column. It is a typical Tang Dynasty style. It is the earliest existing veranda top gate in China. There are two tall statues of the heavenly king guarding both sides of the mountain gate, commonly known as "hum" and "ha", which are treasures of the Liao Dynasty. The long tail of the tail on the main ridge of the Mountain Gate of the dule Temple turns inward like a pheasant flying. It is the earliest kind of tail in the existing ancient buildings in China.

Main attractions

Shanmen

The Mountain Gate of dule temple is the earliest existing top mountain gate of veranda in China. The mountain gate is three rooms wide and two rooms deep, with a hall in the middle. The two sides of the main ridge are decorated with a lotus kiss. The shape is vivid and simple. It is the original of Liao Dynasty.

In front of the mountain gate, there are two colored clay statues of King Kong in Liao Dynasty, commonly known as "hum" and "ha" two generals. In the latter two, there are the color murals of "Four Heavenly Kings" painted in Qing Dynasty. The beams and columns of the mountain gate are strong, the brackets are strong, and the "rising" and "side feet" are obvious. It is said that the plaque on the mountain gate was inscribed by Yan Song.

Goddess of Mercy Pavilion

The main building Guanyin Pavilion is a three story wooden structure Pavilion, with a height of 23 meters. Because the second floor is a darkroom, and there is no eaves to separate it from the third floor, it looks like a two-story building in appearance. The middle waist eaves are surrounded by horizontal railings, and the upper part is a single eaves Xieshan.

On the Xumi seat in the center of Guanyin Pavilion stands a 16 meter high clay statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, whose head reaches to the top of a three story building. It is also called "eleven side Avalokitesvara" because there are ten small head images of Avalokitesvara on its head. The Bodhisattva's face is plump and kind, his shoulders are drooping, his trunk is slightly forward, and his posture is dignified, which seems to move rather than move. There is a statue of Bodhisattva on both sides of the statue of Guanyin. The statue is the original one of the Liao Dynasty. Although it was made in the Liao Dynasty, its artistic style is similar to that of the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the largest existing clay Buddha statues in China.

The four walls of the lower level of Guanyin pavilion are full of colorful paintings, including the standing statues of the sixteen Arhats and the king of the Ming Dynasty with three heads and six arms or four arms, and the paintings of mountains, forests, clouds, water and secular themes. This is the work of a painter in Ming Dynasty. It is well preserved, with clear picture and bright color.

Guanyin Pavilion is centered on the statue of Guanyin, surrounded by two rows of columns. On the columns are Dou Gong, on which are Liang Fang, and on which are wooden columns, Dou Gong and Liang Fang. The interior is divided into three layers, so that people can look at the Buddha from different heights. Liang Fang is set around the statue, forming a patio in the middle, which connects up and down to accommodate the statue. The top of the statue is covered by Dou Ba caisson, and the whole interior space is closely combined with the Buddha in harness. The light in the pavilion is dim, the front is full of light, the image is clear, and the back is only visible, thus strengthening the mystery of the Buddhist temple. There are thousands of beams, columns and architraves in the whole pavilion, but the layout and use are very regular. Its size and shape, whether it is to set off the statue, or decorate the building, the treatment is very coordinated, showing the outstanding achievements of Liao Dynasty wood structure construction technology. Although the pavilion has experienced many earthquakes, it still stands tall.

The 28 columns of Guanyin pavilion are raised in two circles inside and outside, and connected into a whole with girder truss and bucket arch, which endows the building with great seismic capacity. There are 24 kinds of Dougong and 152 Dougong, which make the building dignified and dignified as well as tall and straight. In the middle of the three storey Pavilion, there is a dark layer, and one layer of tile eaves is omitted, so as to avoid the feeling of cluster. In the dark layer, a revolving platform is built inside and outside, confessing to Buddha worship and overlooking from a distance.

mural

The murals of dule Temple mainly refer to the murals in the mountain gate and Guanyin Pavilion. The walls on the East and west sides of the mountain gate are painted with the images of four heavenly kings. The walls around the Guanyin pavilion are painted with the images of Buddha, arhat and donors.

Wei tuoting

Weituo Pavilion is located in the north of Guanyin Pavilion. It is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. It is a zanjianding octagonal pavilion built in the Ming Dynasty. The statue of Weituo in the pavilion is about 3 meters high, powerful and solemn, with distinctive armor and a magic wand. Wei Tuo was originally a Brahmanic God in ancient India. During the nirvana of Buddhism, the jester ghost stole a pair of Buddha's teeth, and Wei Tuo chased them back. Later, he became a guardian God in Buddhism. Inside the pavilion, the statue of Wei Tuo, dressed in armor, has a solemn expression, hands together, and embraces the King Kong pestle. It is said that Wei Tuo's different postures have different meanings for the walking monks. As long as you see Wei Tuo's hands clasped in the temple, you can welcome the monks in the temple. If you pass by, you can swagger in and live for nothing. If you hold a pestle and lean on the ground, it means that the temple does not welcome the monk with a single bill.

Gratitude hospital

Baoen yuan was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is a quadrangle building, about 9 meters long and 5 meters wide. It is an important place for monks to worship Buddhism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In the mid autumn of the eighth year of Xianfeng (A.D. 1859), Emperor Xianfeng came to dule temple and inscribed "gratitude courtyard" for Siheyuan at the request of the abbot of the temple. The word "repay kindness" has two meanings here: since the 18th year of Emperor Qianlong, dule temple has been established as a royal forbidden area, and the abbots of the temple are all royal seals to repay the emperor's kindness. This is one meaning. The two meanings are: the Buddha's disciple Huaien Sihai, "report four kinds of kindness, and relieve three kinds of hardships". Four kinds of grace, namely: Buddha grace, parents grace, sentient beings grace, land grace.

The front hall of Baoen temple is Maitreya hall, with a bronze statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva in the center. On both sides are four famous mad monks in Chinese history, namely Hanshan, Puhua, Fengbo and Jigong. This layout is rare in temples all over the country. The back hall of Baoen courtyard is the third Buddha Hall, which is dedicated to Heng third Buddha, namely the pharmacist Buddha in the Oriental pure glass world, Sakyamuni in the Sava world, and amitabha in the Western Paradise. The East and west side halls are Manjusri hall and Puxian hall.

Chinese PinYin : Du Le Si