900 Years Old Dafo Temple of the Grand Reclining Buddha in China
Dafo Temple (大佛寺) in Zhangye city (张掖) is an ancient Buddhist temple located about 600 kilometres (around 372 miles) west of Gansu’s (甘肃) provincial capital of Lanzhou (兰州), China. The name of the temple came from its main Buddha statue which is the biggest indoor reclining Buddha in all of China. The temple was known by several names throughout the centuries, such as, the Kasyapa Buddha Temple (迦叶如来寺), Bojue Temple (宝觉寺), Hongren Temple (宏仁寺) and also Reclining Buddha Temple (睡佛寺).
Dafo Temple was built in 1098 during the first year reign of Emperor Chongzong (崇宗) of the Yong’an era in the Western Xia (西夏) Dynasty (1038-1227). Due to its rich history, the temple is listed as an immovable cultural relic under state protection. In its 900 years, it was restored many times during the Ming (明) and Qing (清) Dynasties. In 2005, the temple was reinstated as a place of worship and was reopened to the public after a major restoration. A major blessing ceremony was held on 1 July 2006, where dozens of Buddhist masters blessed the largest crowd attendance in the record of the temple for over a hundred years.
History
In 1098, the monk, Sineng Weimie saw magical lights and heard heavenly sounds emitted from a hill at the foot of a mountain. He discovered buried treasures, which included a Reclining Buddha statue after searching for the source of the sounds and lights. Believing the incident to be divine in nature, Sineng Weimie decided to build the temple in honour of the Buddha statue.
According to history, the Dafo temple is closely related to the royal families of the Western Xia (西夏) and Yuan (元) Dynasty. It was said that the great Kublai Khan (1215-1294), the grandson of Genghis Khan was born in this very temple when his mother, the wife of Tolui Khan lived in the temple. In 1927, Marco Polo stayed in Zhangye for a year because he was impressed by the Buddhist culture and the magnificent architecture of the bustling city. It was documented in his book “The Travels of Marco Polo” that during his audience with the Great Buddha statue, Marco Polo was inspired by the dedication of the monks to have created such a large structure.
The main buildings of the temple are The Great Buddha Hall, The Buddhist Classics Hall, and the Clay Pagoda.
The Great Buddha Hall
The two-storey Great Buddha Hall is 33 metres (108 feet) high, 48.5 metres (159 feet) wide and 24.5 metres (80 feet) long. The Great Reclining Buddha that resides in the middle of this hall, lies peacefully on top of a 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) high altar. The whole Buddha is 34.5 metres (113 feet) high and 7.5 metres (24.5 feet) wide between its shoulders. The Buddha’s ears are 4 metres (13 feet) long, and the feet are 5.2 metres (17 feet) long. It is covered with gold leaf and painted in various colours. This reclining Buddha statue is made of clay on a wooden frame and it depicts Buddha Shakyamuni’s attainment of Parinirvana. This gigantic reclining Buddha statue was said to be made around the year 1100, during the Western Xia and Song dynasty.
Behind the Buddha, you will find statues of the Buddha’s 10 disciples while the statues of 18 Arhats can be found at both sides of the gate. In the hall itself, there are murals depicting stories from “Journey to the West”, as well as from “The Classic of Mountains and Seas” or Shan Hai Jing, which is a compilation of mythic geography and myth. In 1966, they discovered a copper Buddha, a bronze mirror, a copper pot, stone tablets and Buddhist sutras in the belly of the reclining Buddha.
The Buddhist Classics Hall
The Buddhist Classics Hall houses 7,000 volumes of sacred Buddhist sutras that were gifted to the temple by Emperor Ying Zhong (英宗) during the Ming (明) Dynasty. Among all the scriptures, the most precious scripture is the Prajnaparamita sutra that was copied on precious Prussian blue paper with ink of real gold and silver. It is extraordinarily exquisite and it was given the name “Zhangye Golden Scripture”. In 1996, this scripture was awarded the status of National Treasure by The National Cultural Heritage Administration of China.
In the 1940s, before the start of the Chinese civil war, the monks decided to preserve and store away all the scriptures in an area of the temple, as well as building a brick wall to seal off the section. In 1952, a nun named Yao was assigned to safeguard the scriptures by her mentor. Over the years, she kept the secret to herself in order to preserve the treasure of the temple, despite numerous attempts by many to get the information out of her. Because of her, the scriptures are saved and survived numerous disasters, especially the infamous Cultural Revolution. The scriptures were discovered in 1975 when a hidden door that led to the scriptures was found in Yao’s living quarters after she had passed away. A statue of Yao was built next to the Buddhist Classic Hall in 1998 to commemorate her noble act.
The Clay Pagoda
The Clay Pagoda is one of the five elements pagodas in Zhangye. The 13-storey pagoda is 33.37 metres (109.5 feet) in height. There are four miniature pagodas on the first and second storeys and this is a very rare feature in pagodas.
How to get to Zhangye Dafo Temple
A map of Dafo Temple of Zhangye (click to enlarge)
Address: Dafosi Alley, Minzhu West Road, Ganzhou District, Zhangye 734000, China
One can travel to Zhangye Dafo Temple by the following options:
- Hire a vehicle to get to the temple. This is the quickest and most direct option.
- Take any bus with the following numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 or 23 to the Dafosi stop (大佛寺站) or the Nanchengxiangkou stop (南城巷口站).
Opening hours: 8am-6pm
Admission Fee:
- Normal price: RMB 41 (MYR 24.90)
- Visitors age 60-69: RMB 21 (MYR 12.75)
- Visitors age 70 or above: FREE
- Children below 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) in height: FREE
Contact number: +86 936 821 2049
Travel tips to Zhangye Dafo Temple
- The best time to visit the temple is in the morning during the opening hours
- The best months to visit are from April to October
- Bring sufficient clothes to keep warm as the temperature differences in Zhangye, especially during the winter is big
- Prepare sunscreen cream and sunglasses
- Prepare lip balm, hand cream, and body lotion as the weather is dry all the time in Zhangye
Additional Pictures
Zhangye Golden Scripture
The place where the scriptures were stored behind the brick wall
The brick wall that protected the scriptures
Commemorative statue of the nun, Yao who protected the scriptures
Sources:
- Giant Buddha Temple, https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-attractions/giant-buddha-temple.htm (accessed: 25 March 2019)
- The Grand Buddha Temple in Zhangye, https://www.chinahighlights.com/zhangye/attraction/grand-buddha-temple.htm (accessed: 25 March 2019)
- Giant Buddha Temple (Dafo Temple), 28 April 2018, https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/gansu/zhangye/giant-buddha-temple.htm (accessed: 25 March 2019)
- Dafo Temple, Zhangye, 21 October 2016, https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Dafo_Temple%2C_Zhangye.html (accessed: 25 March 2019)
- Giant Buddha Temple (Zhangye), 11 February 2013, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/gansu/2013-11/02/content_17076179.htm (accessed: 25 March 2019)
- Giant Buddha Temple, https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/zhangye/attractions/giant-buddha-temple/a/poi-sig/1239355/355967 (accessed: 25 March 2019)
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This heritage site in China is stunning .The artwork on the giant Buddha is absolutely stunning especially the eyes of the great Reclining Buddha. Now I know what is 18 arhats. In Cantonese they called it 18 Loh Hon. Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this beautiful Buddha history of Dafo Temple of the Grand Reclining Buddha in China?????☘️?
Wow…… famous Buddhist Dafo temple in Zhejiang and has a long history of more than 1600 years. It was listed in the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. That’s where China’s largest indoor reclining Buddha, the Nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha, is lying peacefully in this temple. Truly a magnificent, mysterious, and unique, Giant Buddha Temple which is China’s largest reclining Buddha. It is believed that the statue is about 1,600 years old from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. All the scriptures are well-preserved and people call the Grand Buddha Temple a library of Buddhism. It attracts thousands of visitors every year with the ancient beautiful architectures. The temple and its surroundings have been used as a location for movies and filming, because of its natural environment.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting sharing.
Thank you, Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing with us this stunning heritage site in China. It is amazing how they have the technology and ways to build such a large Buddha statue. The artwork on the giant Buddha is absolutely stunning especially the eyes of the great Reclining Buddha.
It was said that the eyes changes if you view it in different angles or position. We are very fortunate that this great Buddha statue was not destroyed during various disasters in China especially the cultural revolution. However, it was said that the statue was damaged at the belly area and various treasures from the statue were removed. Until today, the damage was not repaired fully and can be seen clearly.
Another amazing history of this temple is how the monks and nun tried their best to protect the scriptures. They came out with a brilliant idea to seal off the scriptures by building a brick wall in front of it. Because of this, precious scriptures are preserved through the ages.