Yanfu Temple

Yanfu Temple

Yanfu temple, located in Qiandeng Town, Kunshan City, is one of the six ancient temples in Kunshan City. Yanfu temple was built in the second year of Liang Tianjian (503 AD). It has a history of more than 1500 years.

Historical evolution

It was donated by Wang Shushe, a native of Qiandeng Town, and built by monks from Yikai mountain. It is named "Yanfu Temple". In the second year of Kaiping in the Five Dynasties (908 AD), the temple was rebuilt and named "Yanfu Temple". In the second year of Tianfu in the later Jin Dynasty (937 AD), it was granted "boruo Temple". In 1008 ad, Emperor zhaoheng of Zhenzong granted "Yanfu Temple". In 1008 A.D., Yanfu temple has a grand scale. There are 1008 Buddhist houses and 800 monks. There are countless ginkgo trees planted in the whole temple. It is a famous Buddhist holy land, and there are an endless stream of pilgrims who come to burn incense and worship Buddha. In the second year of putianfu (937 AD), the Emperor gave the name "boruo Temple", and in the Northern Song Dynasty it was renamed "Yanfu Temple". Wang Jue, who once worked as the county director, gave up his house to expand the temple because he was old and had no children. The temple is a Buddhist holy land with a grand scale. People from the south of the Yangtze River come to worship it and there is a lot of incense. The temple was destroyed at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. During the Hongwu Period of Ming Dynasty (1368-1398), it was rebuilt again. In the second year of Yongle reign, the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, shihara Jijun, once stayed in this temple when he was in charge of Wusong River and qiandengpu. During the Wanli period (1573-1619), the monk Zhanyue rebuilt the Dharma hall and the mountain gate. At the end of Ming Dynasty, the temple was destroyed, and the Buddhist hall and Sutra Pavilion were rebuilt. During the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing army fought with the Taiping army, the temple was destroyed in the war, leaving only a few rooms in the back and a few monks. After liberation, the monk changed his job and the houfang moved to a hospital.

With the help of Kunshan Buddhist Association and leaders of Kunshan City and Qiandeng Town, Yanfu temple was reopened in 1997. With the concerted efforts of master Qiu Feng, President of Kunshan Buddhist Association, and Han shenruku, four disciples, Yanfu Temple began the restoration and reconstruction of Yanfu temple after opening up. After five years of hard work, Yanfu temple has been expanded, covering an area of 20 mu. Tianwang Hall (Mountain Gate), Daxiong hall, East and West Wing rooms and some supporting facilities have been restored and reconstructed Buildings, facilities, etc.

architectural composition

When you enter Yanfu temple, you will find the Tianwang Hall (Mountain Gate). The brick wall in the main mountain gate is in the form of "three drops of water". The wall system divides the long and flat murals into three sections. The left and right sections are symmetrical in size, and the middle section is higher and wider. Carved in the middle is a symbol of good luck and wealth of Buddhist holy objects. Facing the Tianwang hall on the screen wall, there are four gold-plated characters "Yanfu Temple" hanging on the door. The plaque is shining in the sunshine.

There are six Bodhisattvas worshipped in the heavenly king hall, which are Maitreya Buddha facing south, Weituo facing north, and four heavenly kings on both sides. Maitreya Buddha is worshipped at the main gate of the heavenly king hall, smiling, bare chest and belly, and welcoming the guests from all over the world. Behind Maitreya Buddha is the Dharma protector Wei Tuo. These two Bodhisattvas are carved in gold. On both sides of the temple are the "Four Heavenly Kings", namely, the eastern Heavenly King holding a lute, the southern Heavenly King holding a sword, the Western Heavenly King holding a dragon and snake, and the northern Heavenly King holding a treasure house. The statues of the four heavenly kings are carved from camphor wood. They are 4 meters high, majestic and full of fragrance. After the Sinicization of Buddhism, the four heavenly kings have become symbols of good weather and peace of the country. The four Bodhisattvas are painted clay statues.

Main attractions

From the temple of the heavenly king, you can see the Qiandeng Town sign - Qinfeng pagoda, which has a history of 1500 years and is known as "beauty pagoda" in history.

Qinfeng pagoda is a provincial cultural protection unit. It was built in the second year of Tianjian of Liang Dynasty and rebuilt in the first year of Xiangfu of Song Dynasty. It was born at the same time as "boruo Temple". The appearance of Qinfeng pagoda is square, brick and wood structure, which is composed of three parts: tower base, tower body and tower brake. In the form of Pavilion, the plane is square, seven levels, 38.7 meters high, three rooms on each side of the tower, one door on each side of each floor, convenient access. The profile of the eaves of the tower is in a curve shape, and the angle of the berm is raised, giving people the feeling of flapping wings. The top of Qinfeng pagoda has a steep slope, forming a skeleton structure similar to an umbrella, with a generous manner. The top of the tower plays a guiding role of the center of gravity in the overall modeling, with a prominent position, showing a meaningful spirit. Each wing of Qinfeng tower has a bronze bell. On the wall of Qinfeng pagoda, two Buddha statues of Sakyamuni are inlaid on each layer and each side, a total of 56 statues, which are rare art treasures. Outer trough for believers to worship, said the meaning of thousand Buddha Rao Pilu. Because of its slender, graceful and graceful body, Qinfeng pagoda has been known as "beauty pagoda" since ancient times, which is rare in the south of the Yangtze River. When there is wind, I can hear the copper bells on the eaves of the pagoda ring, as far as ancient music. Qinfeng pagoda has always been an important part of Yanfu temple.

Monk Congyi was building the temple. At the same time, he built seven levels of futu. Because it is located in Shanyang of qinzhu mountain, it is called "qinzhufeng", also known as "Sakyamuni pagoda", and later called "Qinfeng pagoda" or "thousand Lighthouse". In order to maintain the style of the ancient pagoda, it has been rebuilt and repaired many times in history. It was rebuilt in the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu in the Northern Song Dynasty and repaired in Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty. After the founding of the people's Republic of China, the governments of Jiangsu Province and Kunshan City organized the protective maintenance of the ancient pagodas in 1962 and 1994, including recasting the pagoda brake, repairing the pagoda clothes, waist eaves, flat seats and stairs, and restoring the style of the "Song pagoda". The tower was built in 503 A.D. in the second year of Liang Tianjian. It has a history of more than 1500 years. Qinfeng pagoda is located in "Tianwang hall" and "Daxiong hall". In 1956, Qiandeng Qinfeng pagoda was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Jiangsu Province. From 1994 to 1995, the Qinfeng pagoda was overhauled. The pagoda brake was replaced, and the four corners, eaves, flat seats, railings, floors, wooden ladders, etc. were restored. The original appearance of the Song Dynasty was reproduced, with a cost of 1.5 million yuan. The tower is 39.5 meters long, with four corners. Most of the brick Buddha statues inlaid in each floor are historical relics, and a few damaged ones are restored according to their original appearance.

Jade Buddha Hall is located in the west side of the temple, the building is divided into three parts, the main building area is 800 square meters. In the Jade Buddha Hall, there is a Sakyamuni jade Reclining Buddha, known as the world's largest jade Reclining Buddha. This jade Buddha is carved from a 12 meter long Burmese jade. The jade is a complete natural jade. It is 8.9 meters long, 2.45 meters high and 1.35 meters wide. It weighs about 30 tons. It is inlaid with more than 1500 rubies, sapphires and Jadeites. The lotus seat and clothing pattern are made of pure gold. The color paintings are made of natural stone colors, such as white, red and blue The color is made of white conch, red coral and turquoise. The whole Buddha statue is dignified and has high artistic value. Due to its unprecedented size, this jade Reclining Buddha has been recorded in the Guinness Book of records. In addition to the big jade Reclining Buddha, there are also 10000 small jade Buddhas. The side halls on the left and right sides are 300 square meters each, with 18 life size Arhats.

Around the Qinfeng pagoda, you can see the main hall. The architectural form of the main hall is the pattern of double eaves resting on the top of the mountain. The hall is tall, majestic and majestic. It is located in the north of the central axis of the temple. In the center of the hall is the "three body Buddha", in the middle is a Dharma Buddha "piluzana Buddha", in the left is the body Buddha "Lushena Buddha", in the right is the body Buddha "Sakyamuni". On the left and right sides of the main hall, there are 18 Arhats and two Bodhisattvas, Manjusri and Puxian, respectively. Behind the three body Buddha is the statue of Avalokitesvara. According to Yuanjue Sutra, they are: Manjusri Bodhisattva, Puxian Bodhisattva, Puyan Bodhisattva, Vajrayana Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva, qingjinghui Bodhisattva, dashizhi Bodhisattva, GuanShiYin Bodhisattva, jingyezhang Bodhisattva, pujue Bodhisattva, Yuanjue Bodhisattva, Xianshan Bodhisattva. Among the "three saints of the East", one is the pharmacist Buddha, and Yanfu temple in Qiandeng Town is also his Taoist temple. On both sides of the pharmacist Buddha are his right and left escorts, sunlight Bodhisattva and moonlight Bodhisattva. Carved from camphor wood, Guanyin Bodhisattva has 11 statues, 48 main arms, thousands of hands and thousands of eyes, with a total height of 9.9 meters. The three Bodhisattvas in the West are the three saints in the west, Amitabha Buddha in the middle, and his left and right servants, Guanyin Bodhisattva and Dashi Bodhisattva on both sides. On both sides of the balcony in front of the hall, there are two ancient ginkgo trees, which have a history of thousands of years.

Address: Qiandeng ancient town, Kunshan City

Longitude: 121.00165557861

Latitude: 31.266717910767

Chinese PinYin : Yan Fu Chan Si