Mahayana Courtyard
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2014-03-31
Mahayana Courtyard is located in Huihe village, Wenjiang district, in the city of Chengdu. It is a Wenjiang Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It was originally built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and rebuilt in 1669, the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, it is also called “the new temple.”
The courtyard contains four halls, namely Mercy Buddha Hall, Mahavira Hall, Hall of Three Buddhas and Hall of Buddhist Sutras. Mercy Buddha Hall was built in 1993. It adopts a brick and concrete frame and covers an area of 282 square meters. It earned its name by worshipping the refined and dignified Mercy Buddha in the hall. Mahavira Hall, with an area of 520 square meters, came into being in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Beams and columns that constitute the hall consist of fragrant camphor and precious nanmu.
For thousands of years, thanks to the woods’ ability to kill bacteria, the hall was able to avoid being eroded by insects. Its standing Buddha and sitting Buddha are notable. The standing Buddha is majestic and dignified, while the sitting one is small and delicate, both highlights of Mahayana Courtyard.
The Hall of Buddhist Sutras is the most recent main building. Also made of bricks and concrete, it was built in 1998, covering an area of 580 square meters. With a vermeil outer wall, white inner wall, rosy floor tiles and dark blue roof tiles, the whole building rolls grandeur and dignity into one. The unique 6-meter layer spacing impresses people with spaciousness and magnificence.
The hall is designed for Buddhist monks and nuns to read sutras and study Buddhist dharma. The Hall of Three Buddhas, also adopting fragrant camphor and precious nanmu as the main construction materials, covers 560 square meters. It was brought into light in the Qing Dynasty. It got its name from the three Buddhas in the hall.
In 2004, supported by the district bureau of ethnic and religious affairs, Mahayana Courtyard expanded into an area of 0.83 hectares and extended its main gate.
Edited by Michael Thai
