Baolian Temple was founded in 523 AD with a history of 1400 years. It is one of the oldest temples in Guangdong Province. Baolian Temple covers an area of about 66,000 square meters, with simple and elegant architectural style and rigorous layout, and is known as "the treasure of Lingnan architectural art".
Baolian Temple was originally named "Ruifeng Temple", but was later renamed "Baolian Temple" for offering a lotus lamp imported from India. The temple has been built and expanded many times, and most of the existing buildings were built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Baolian Temple is a model of Buddhist architecture with various facilities, such as the mountain gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Ursa Mahayana Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Zen Hall, and the Tibetan Scripture Building.
The founder of Baolian Temple was a famous monk who explored jade in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He once presided over the construction of the first Buddhist temple in the south of the Yangtze River-Lushan Hui Yuan Temple. Master Tanyu promoted Buddhism and recruited disciples, making Baolian Temple an important base for spreading Buddhist culture in South Guangdong at that time. Since its establishment, Baolian Temple has inherited the dharma vein, and numerous eminent monks have emerged, such as Zongbao in the Ming Dynasty and Zhan Ran in the Qing Dynasty, all of whom are Buddhist masters.
Characteristics of Baolian Temple
Baolian Temple is rich in cultural relics and has high historical, artistic and scientific value. For example, the five Ming Buddha statues in Daxiong Hall are dignified and dignified, with different expressions; The Guanyin statue of Yuan Dynasty in guanyin temple is beautiful and lifelike. There is also the Monument to Baolian Temple written by Li Yong, a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, which provides important information for studying the history of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty.
Baolian Temple is not only a Buddhist temple, but also a beautiful garden landscape. There are towering old trees, lush green grass and rippling blue waves in the temple. Famous scenic spots include Yu Yequan, Suoxi Bridge and Gualu Lake. These scenic spots not only provide a good place for monks to retreat, but also make tourists feel the beauty of Zen.
In recent years, while promoting Buddhism and spreading culture, Baolian Temple has actively participated in social welfare undertakings and carried out charitable projects such as helping the poor, helping students and supporting the elderly, thus contributing to the construction of a harmonious society. Today's Baolian Temple is not only the center of Buddhist belief, but also a good place for the general public and tourists to visit and play, and has become a beautiful business card in Foshan.
The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Baolian Temple.