Datong Huayan Temple is the first of only three ancient Liao Dynasty temples in the country. The reason why it ranks first is that in addition to being a building with royal specifications, it also has a large number of well-preserved Liao Dynasty statues and Liao Dynasty gold medals. It is divided into upper and lower temples, which are both unified and independent. In the last issue, I introduced you to the upper temple of Huayan Temple in Datong. In this issue, I will continue to share the lower temple.
Let’s take a look at the Huayan Temple located on the south central axis. Entering the lower temple is like entering a museum of cultural relics from the Liao Dynasty, which will leave you dazzled, excited, and reluctant to leave. !
The first choice for entering the temple is the original Liao Dynasty gate. This time I took a video of Huayan Temple but did not take any suitable photos, which is a pity. I will do a few more visits to Huayan Temple if I have the chance in the future.
The lower temple is also an independent temple, and the main building is the Bhoja Tibetan Hall. Also known as the "Tibetan Scripture Pavilion", this ancient building was also built in the Liao Dynasty. Huayan Temple in Datong is the first of the only three ancient Liao Dynasty temples to remain because of the large number of Liao Dynasty buildings and their preservation. In good condition, it has high value for historical research.
The carvings of the "Tiangong Pavilions" around the palace are extremely exquisite and delicate. It is also the only wooden structure model building of the Liao Dynasty in China. It was also hailed as "the only one in the country" by the architect Mr. Liang Sicheng!
The Douba caisson and others are also old objects from the Liao Dynasty. The mesh patterns, triangular persimmon stems and other popular patterns of the Liao Dynasty painted in the inner groove paintings are still vaguely identifiable.
There are 29 colorful sculptures from the Liao Dynasty arranged in the hall, which are arranged on the platform in the order of the three Buddhas. In the middle is Sakyamuni Buddha, on the left is the Ancient Buddha of Burning Deng, and on the right is Maitreya Buddha. These three groups of Liao Dynasty statues are so numerous and well-preserved that there is basically no other statue in the country. Among these statues, a lifelike Bodhisattva statue is the most eye-catching.
What shocked the country and abroad was this Bodhisattva with palms clasped and teeth exposed. It is a business card of Huayan Temple in Datong and even Datong City, appearing in various promotional videos. This Bodhisattva is called the "Oriental Venus" by many experts and scholars.
After visiting, Mr. Guo Moruo wrote an inscription for it: "The statue of Bojia Fazang in Huayan Temple was an old thing from 926 years ago. Its proportions are in line with the natural expression and its expression is particularly vivid. I think it is better than the Jinci Temple in Taiyuan. The statue in the Notre Dame Hall is a rare work of art and should be protected as much as possible." Mr. Zheng Zhenduo praised the Buddha statues here: "It is like a museum. , especially the several standing Bodhisattva statues, are so beautiful. There is almost no trace of the face, the eyes, the ears, the lips, the fingers, the bare feet, and the graceful waist. It is not a beautiful product, the most beautiful model. The leaning posture is extremely charming. Isn't it similar to the Venus of Milos in the Love Museum?" From then on, the Oriental Venus became this Bodhisattva. Another name.
Countless people come here to admire not only the statue of the Bodhisattva that looks like a girl, but also the craftsmen who designed and made the Bodhisattva thousands of years ago. No matter in terms of shape, expression, or clothing, they are all unparalleled masterpieces. To ask why there are so many cultural relics of the Liao Dynasty in Huayan Temple in Datong, please click on the link to read the introduction in the previous issue:
Why is Huayan Temple in Datong one of the only three remaining ones? The first ancient temple in Liao Dynasty?
According to folklore, this was the daughter of a craftsman who sacrificed her life to save her father and the craftsmen. The craftsmen shaped the girl in her image to commemorate the girl. Legends are legends, but you can also imagine that in order to fulfill the royal orders, skilled craftsmen were recruited here. No matter how good their craftsmanship was, they were just ordinary people at the bottom, so many stories would naturally happen...
Huayan Pagoda is the second largest square wooden pagoda with purely wooden mortise and tenon structure in my country after the Yingxian wooden pagoda. It is 43 meters high, with a golden plate on top and a lotus pond on the bottom.
Although it is newly built, it was built using ancient construction methods.
Below the Huayan Pagoda is the largest underground palace made of copper in the country. The caissons, tower pillars, murals, floors, escalators, and Buddha statues that you can see are all made of pure copper. , more than 100 tons were used. It is a veritable copper palace. There are 1,000 bronze Buddha statues in the hall, ranging from 3 meters in size to 33 centimeters in size. It is called the Thousand Buddhas Underground Palace.
There is a treasure in the underground palace, the Buddha's relic.
Because the Buddha statues and murals in the temple are national cultural relics and photography is not allowed, some of the above pictures are selected from the Internet. Such Liao Dynasty royal buildings are extremely rare. Give it to yourself Plan an opportunity to visit the ancient capital of Datong. There are also the Yungang Grottoes of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Shanhua Temple of the Jin Dynasty, the Guandi Temple of the Yuan Dynasty, the Nine Dragon Wall of the Ming Dynasty... they are all serious antiquities.
The current Huayan Temple was returned to the temple a few years ago under the auspices of Mayor Geng. The old appearance of Huayan Temple was restored. This is based on historical materials and experts Based on their research, many partially destroyed buildings were rebuilt based on the principle of restoring the old as it was, so the entire temple looks very new, but in fact it is a combination of old and new, giving it a more charming feel. However, Uncle Geng completed this major project under tremendous pressure. This move attracted countless controversies and even curses from people who did not understand him. If those who opposed it at that time look at Datong now, will they be grateful for Uncle Geng’s feats back then?
Outside the Huayan Temple is a large retro square, surrounded on three sides by a group of magnificent buildings. This group of buildings is a double-floor wall hidden building that was praised by Mr. Liang Sicheng as "a unique product in the country". and an antique version of the Tiangong Pavilion. Chonglou style wall storage. During holidays, this place becomes a good place for Datong people to visit. During the first lunar month every year, there will be social fire performances from various counties and districts, bringing the elderly, holding children, and wearing new festive clothes. The whole family mobilized. No matter how cold the weather is, it can't stop the enthusiasm of Datong people. The simple Datong people lament that the environment is so good now, and they will recite the story of Uncle Geng's transformation of the ancient city to each other from the bottom of their hearts...
Next time I go back to Datong, I must take a set of pictures of Huayan Temple to make up for this regret. Datong is different, Datong welcomes you.