Stone Hall of Jijian Temple explained

The Stone Hall of Jijian Temple is located on Tianchi Mountain in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It was classified by the Jiangsu Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1957[1] and placed in the sixth batch of Major Site Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level in 2006.[2]

Jijian Temple was built in the Zhizheng era, under the reign of Ukhaantu Khan, Emperor Huizong of Yuan in the Yuan Dynasty (1357) and converted to a temple after the Ming Dynasty. The existing stone palace[3] niche for Buddha and statues were all built in the Yuan Dynasty.

Facing south and with a width of 7.64 meters (Chinese: 面阔三间) and a depth of 5.52 meters (Chinese: 进深二间), the stone hall has a unique Chinese-style roof[4] and the back of the hall is next to a cliff. The east side and west side of the stone hall each have one stone chamber.

The two chambers are constructed next to the niche of Buddha.[5] titled "Doushai Palace" and "Jile Palace". They are both stone houses built with wood in Baosha-style, one room in width and half a step in depth. The west stone chamber has a double-eaved roof with Amitabha Buddha statues in it while the east one has a single eave roof with Maitreya Buddha statues in it.

References

31.2983°N 120.4742°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: cultural relics protection units. www.cchmi.com. 2012-05-13. 2010-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20100315033814/http://www.cchmi.com/tabid/75/MoreModuleID/426/MoreTabID/69/Default.aspx. dead.
  2. Compiled by State Administration of Cultural Heritage. fifth volume of the sixth batch of important national-level preservation units of cultural relics. Cultural Relics Publishing House. 2008. pp. 60. .
  3. 寂鉴寺石屋及造象小考. 古建园林技术. 1988.
  4. 中国传统建筑艺术之歇山顶的类别、等级及应运. China Science and Technology Review. 2011. 32.
  5. The Buddha Images and Conservation and Adherence to Cultural Values in Northeast. Journal of Social Sciences. 2011.