Chongsheng Temple of Dali
Source:Internet Author:Anonymous Tags:
Dali Yunan Temple Ming Dynasty
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| Article Guide:Built between 823 and 1108,the three pagodas at the Chongsheng Temple is 1.5 kilometers north of the ancient town of Dali.The main pagoda has 16-stories.It is a squarebrick structure with close eaves and hollow inside.It satands 69.13 meters.The other two octagonal pagodas flanking the maine pagda,one in the south and the other in the north,are ten-story stone and brick stuctures,each rising 42.19 meters above the ground. |
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The newly built Chongsheng Temple covers an area of 600 mu，and stretches 1，136 meters from east to west and 352 meters from south to north．Based on the architectural designs of famous temples else where and traditional Chinese architecture，the temple embodies the grandness and vastness of the northern architectural style and the refinement and delicacy of the southern style．It is arranged along a main axis and two auxiliary axes with 8 terraces，9 sections，and 11 levels．Lying in proper order along the main axis are the Square of Golden-Winged Roc (with a golden-winged roe statue in its middle) ，the Gate to the Temple (with a two storied base 4.5 meters high) ，the Hall of Heavenly Kings (with Mahakala enshrined in the middle flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings) ，the Hall of Maitreya (with the big-bellied Maitreya and Skanda facing each other in the middle flanked by Eight Heavenly Kings) ，the Hall of the Eleven-faced Goddess of Mercy (a 9-meter statue) ，Hall of the Great Hero (golden statues of the Three Saints) ，Pavilion of the Acuoye Goddess of Mercy (a 12-meter statue) ，Mountain-Lake Grand View Stone Archway，and Lake-Viewing Tower．Along the two auxiliary axes are Arhat Hall，Hall of Eminent Monks (the nine kings who became monks) ，Hall of the Founders (six founders of the Zen sect) ，Hall of Heavenly Kings，the Institute of Buddhism，bedrooms for monks，Abbot Hall，guest rooms and dining rooms．
The restored Chongsheng Temple has many "bests" amongst the Buddhist temples in modern China．First，it has the longest of any temple axis in China．Its axis starts from the Dali-Lijiang Road and extends 4 km up the Cangshan Mountain to the Lake-Viewing Tower of 2，199 meters above sea level，including the original Three-Pagoda Park of course．Second，the Hall of the Great Hero of the temple，5 1.7 meters wide and 26 meters high．is the largest Buddhist hall of its kind in China．Third，it has the largest number of gilded Buddha images in China．Based on "Zhang Shengwen Scroll Painting" and the Five-Hundred Statues of the Bamboo Temple in Kunming，the 599 Buddha images of the temple are all of gilded bronze．Fourth，the woodcarving scroll on the walls of its Hall of the Great Hero，the "Zhang Shengwen Scroll Painting" ，117 meters long and 18 meters high，is the largest one of its kind in the world．Fifth．the pestle of Buddha's warrior attendant in this temple，six meters long and one meters in diameter，is the largest pestle in the world．Finally，the drum in its drum tower，which is 3.1 meters in diameter，is the largest drum in Chinese Buddhist temples．
To sum up，the new temple and the three pagodas each are solemnly magnificent and gracefully beautiful．With the splendor of imperial temples and the characteristics of local ethnic groups，this temple represents the history and culture of this place，and satisfies the demand of the developing modern tourism for splendor and magnificence．The temple，the largest of its kind in Yunnan，of the first class in China and known the world over，is the most characteristic Buddhist temple complex in Southeast Asia．
