The architecture of each temple has its own characteristics and advantages. Putuo Mountain is a well-known Buddhist holy land. There are many large and small Buddhist temples, but one of the temples has the highest architectural standards in the country because one of the temples was moved from the Ming Dynasty imperial palace. This is Fayu Temple The Kowloon Palace.
Fayu Temple, compared to the largest Puji Temple , is also called Hou Temple . It is located on the left side of the Baihua Peak of Putuo Mountain in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province and at the foot of Guangxi Peak. It faces Thousand Steps of Sand . It has a quiet environment and compelling aura. It is one of the three major temples in Putuo Mountain.
Fayu Temple covers an area of 33,408 square meters. It is built according to the mountain. When you climb up, the first thing you see is the temple archway. It is made of marble, with four pillars and three doors. The plaque head is carefully carved. There are two in front of the steps. The mighty stone lion dominates the area with extraordinary momentum.
Go through the archway and walk along the corridor, and you will see a stone bridge called Haihui Bridge. Under the bridge is the life-release pond, with sparkling water and fish swimming around carefree. Being free is the ultimate happiness.
There is a corridor paved with bluestone at the head of the bridge, with yellow walls erected on both sides. Under the shade of towering trees, the artistic conception is quiet and very comfortable.
Walking along the long corridor, you will see a square pavilion-style building with double eaves in front of you, with saffron walls, golden glazed tiles, arched door, and the inscription "Tianhua Fayu". A big character, this is the mountain gate of Fayu Temple.
After passing the mountain gate, what you see is not the Tianwang Hall, because the mountain gate of Fayu Temple is not on the central axis. On the left side, you can see a beautifully carved Nine Dragon Wall . Each dragon is vivid, with its head raised and its claws dancing, full of movement, as if it is about to fly out of the wall.
There is a small courtyard opposite the Nine Dragon Wall. There is a five-story tripod in the middle, with the words "Fayu Zen Temple" engraved on it. There are stone scripture buildings on both sides. The ancient trees around are in various shapes, and the incense is ethereal. It is really Zen. The meaning is deep and the Buddhist rhyme is gentle.
The first palace on the central axis is the Temple of the Heavenly King. It has a mountain-style double eaves and square windows and arches.
In the Buddhist niche in the temple, Maitreya Buddha is enshrined. He always smiles, has blessed ears and shoulders, and has kind eyebrows and kind eyes, which makes people feel friendly and peaceful when entering the temple. There are statues of the four heavenly kings enshrined on both sides, which are majestic but not scary and have a stalwart figure (the king of state in the east, the king of growth in the south, the king of wide eyes in the west , the king of multi-hearing in the north ), which represents good weather.
Behind the Heavenly King's Hall is the Dharma Protector's Hall. The saffron Buddhist niche has exquisitely carved patterns. There are two golden dragons coiled on the pillars of the niche, which houses the Dharma Protector Skanda Bodhisattva in golden armor. This is a rare seated statue of Skanda Bodhisattva. , most temples have standing statues.
After worshiping the Dharma Protector Bodhisattva and going up the stairs, you can see the bell tower and drum tower on the left and right sides, which is also very special. The bell tower and drum tower of most temples are in front of the Tianwang Hall.
The second palace on the central axis is the Jade Buddha Hall, with red walls and gold tiles, cornices, double eaves, carved beams and painted columns, and stone railings in front of the hall. The tripod in front of the temple was touched by tourists until it was shiny. The tripod has the meaning of good luck and disaster relief, so it must be like this. There is a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, as white as snow, enshrined in the hall. It is made of fine jade, exquisitely carved, and has a calm and peaceful expression. The Jade Buddha is 1.3 meters high and was moved from Yongle Palace in Beijing in 1985.
After worshiping the Jade Buddha Hall, you will arrive at the Nine Dragons Hall. There are two ancient trees in the courtyard, one is a tall and straight ginkgo tree, and the other is a juniper with various postures, dioecious and beautiful in shape. In 1962, Guo Moruo wrote the inscription "Dragon and Phoenix Ancient Cypress".
The temple facing us is the Guanyin Hall (also known as the Kowloon Hall) with the highest architectural specifications. The golden glazed tiles sparkle in the sunlight, there are mythical animals carved on the roof ridges, and there are immortals in front to guide the way, giving off a royal atmosphere everywhere. The temple was named after Emperor Kangxi of ordered to demolish the old temple of Jinling to give it to Mount Putuo, and also gave it the plaques of "Tianhua Fayu" and "Fayu Zen Temple".
The golden body of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined in the hall. Sitting in lotus position on a lotus throne, with hands in meditation seals and a crown on his head, he looks compassionate and overlooks all living beings. There are also statues of Shancai Boy and Dragon Girl erected on both sides.
The Kowloon caisson on the head of Guanyin Bodhisattva is the original of the Ming Palace. It has a golden dragon on the top, eight golden dragon rings and eight pillars flying down, lifelike. There is also a pearl in the middle, forming the pattern of nine dragons grabbing pearls. This is rare national treasure level cultural relic . The pillar foundations in the main hall have a royal atmosphere and are carved with flying dragons, which are also physical evidence that they were transported thousands of miles to the Kowloon Hall .
There are Eighteen Arhats statues on the left and right sides of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Each Buddha statue has fine workmanship and lifelike expressions, as if it were a real Arhat standing in front of you, which makes people admire and marvel.
There is also a statue of Guanyin on the Island behind, holding a purifying bottle in his left hand and a willow branch in his right hand, with a relaxed and peaceful expression. Dropping water from the pure vase refreshes your Zen mind, and you bow your head to worship. I hope that after being washed, your worldly heart will be light and refreshing, and your mind will be as calm as water.
The fourth temple on the central axis is the Sutra Altar. There is an exquisite building on a high platform, with golden glazed tiles and red lines. It is beautiful, with carved beams and painted columns. The cornices and corners are curved, and beautiful melody is revealed everywhere. People can't help but walk in.
There is a dharma image of Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara in the temple. He wears five Buddha crowns and wears precious clothes. He has his hands clasped in front of his chest and each hand holds a different magic weapon behind his back. He has incomparable supernatural power and boundless magic power.
The last palace on the central axis is the Main Hall. This is what makes Fayu Temple unique - the main hall is the Nine Dragons Hall. The main hall is also built in a spectacular Weiwei style, with double eaves and roofs, red windows and black tiles, and the pillars are hung with couplets. Among them, "Buddha Yingxi Gan Eight Phases Enlightenment ordered three people to ascend Jue'an together; Dharma flows to the East and Nine Realms are salty." "Returning to capture all kinds of things to realize the truth" makes people feel majestic and boundless.
There is a Hengsan Buddha enshrined in the temple. It is majestic, handsome in face, and compassionate in expression. The aura of Buddhism is everywhere, cleansing the heart of the world.
Fayu Temple, with its aura of feng shui landforms and palaces of the highest architectural specifications, attracts countless tourists and believers to come and worship, and we look forward to your arrival.
