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Yunju Temple, an active monastery
with more than a thousand years of history located at the
foot of Baidai mountain in Beijing's Fangshan district,
was recently listed as a historical structure in UNESCO's
World Heritage List.
Built in the late Sui (581-618) and early Tang (618-907)
dynasties, the temple is particularly famous for its 14,278
intricate stone carvings of the Tripitaka Buddhist scriptures.
Comprised of a courtyard with five floors and six rooms,
the Buddhist Palace is in the middle of the temple and surrounded
on either side by monasteries for the monks.
Two pagodas facing south and north respectively stand opposite
each other, surrounded by old cypresses and pines in the
temple courtyard. Founded by the monk, Jingwan, specifically
for storing carved scriptures and stone steles, the name
Yunju Temple dates to a stone inscription cut in 669.
The temple once contained the largest collection of stone-carved
Tripitaka scriptures in China. Now housed within nine
caves on Shijing mountain, the texts represent the best
compilation of the various versions of the Tripitaka; among
them are scriptures not yet found in other editions. Shijing
mountain is located one kilometer east of Yunju Temple.
Only Leiyin Cave is open to the public; the other 4,196
carved stone scriptures remain sealed and are not accessible
for public viewing.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the temple was quite
large. In Tang times, the temple was divided into
upper and lower temples. The upper one once stood
on Shijing mountain, but only ruins now survive. The
lower temple now serves as Yunju Temple. During the
Liao (916-1125) and Jin (1115-1234) dynasties, the temple
was also known as Shijing Temple.
Carving of the scriptures started in the Sui dynasty and
lasted 1,039 years through the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
In all, 14,278 stone steles are carved with 1,122 Buddhist
scriptures in 3,572 volumes, offering a rich and varied
tapestry of information for historians to study ancient
politics, economy, culture, art, as well as the history
of Buddhism in China.
Within Yunju Temple are seven pagodas dating from the Tang
dynasty (618-907) and five from the Liao dynasty (913-1125);
all are well preserved. One of the most notable is
the North Pagoda, which is shaped like a bell on top
and like a drum in the middle, dates from the Liao period.
Yunju Temple now features
a public teahouse that offers various types of tea; vegetarian
meals; buffets and performances are also available.
The temple, which can be reached by public buses or by car,
is open daily from 08:00 -- 17:30; entrance fee is RMB30.-(USD4)
a person |
