There are quite confusing opinions about the date of the establishment of this Tang Temple, such as "Ming Xuande was rebuilt in the Northern Song Dynasty" and "it was built in the Northern Song Dynasty". Historical inscriptions all record the years of Tang Xiantong or Zhenguan. Investigating this historical period, we can see that. The unprecedented development of Buddhism in Jianghai area is a natural thing. Although the scale of the temple is far from its later appearance, it should be admitted that it is the initial history of the temple's construction. In the long history of Sa, Tianning Temple had two records of prosperity: one was the Northern Song Dynasty, and after the construction of the temple, it was "magnificent halls, lofty pavilions, and a magnificent view of a state". "To the Xianchun period, it was renewed, and it was even more important than the old one." It was even more helpful, but by the beginning of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, Tianning Temple had been:' Only the main hall and the mountain gate were left, and the protection was peeling off.' Later, it was built during Xuande, Orthodox, Tianshun, Wanli and Apocalypse years, and Tianning Temple ushered in the second rejuvenation period. The revitalization was the first to defend Chen Qian in Tongzhou, and he donated money to invite the Zen master in Yuan Jing, Hangzhou to preside over the construction for four years. His disciples were well-intentioned in the 14th year of Zhengji, and in the 2nd year of Tianshun, they built bronze statues. Moreover, they gave the temple a name and became a place for exercises and etiquette. "Wanli Tongzhou Chronicle also mentioned that the temple had buildings such as the Temple of Fire, the Temple of Ancestral Mountain, and the Piluge Pavilion. In addition, monks such as Huiru also rebuilt the Zen Hall, the Dizang Hall and the Maitreya Hall, when Tongzhou celebrities Shen Mingchen and Lu Lu were there. Ode to the temporary grand occasion of Tianning Temple. The modern branch school in the east of Tianning Temple was converted into a school building, and the Mars Temple, the Water Temple (Yuwang Temple), the Ancestor Temple and the General Idea Hall in the west were built in the late Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China.
The architectural style
Tianning Temple is worthy of the reputation of being a grand temple in a state. As far as its scale is concerned, it ranks first among the four temples in the city, namely Tianning Temple, East Temple and West Temple. King Kong Hall, Ursa Hall and Pharmacist Hall are axial structures. In addition, there are Wu Lan, Mars, Water God (Yu Wang), the founder of Three Oppositions and the General Idea Hall. In the northwest, there is Guangxiao Tower, with a wall in front of the mountain and a pair of stone lions in front of it. Ursa Hall is the main building of Tianning Temple. According to experts' appraisal, it is considered to be an ancient wooden structure left over from Song and Yuan Dynasties. It is a twelve-petal prism made by "inlaying" method, with a compound basin-shaped stone bar under it and a peony pattern carved on it. The ancient temple suffered numerous disasters, and there are few cultural relics. The eight ancient monuments of Shangbu Ren, from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, are completely preserved, but the handwriting is unclear.
The value of cultural relics
The inscription is very important for researching the history of Tianning Temple and Nantong. Then, in the seventh year of Gu tomorrow, the monk Shanhui of Tianning Temple asked the emperor to give him a gift, and Zhu Qizhen, the British Emperor, allowed him to play "Save Tianning Temple". Forget the original name of "repaying kindness and filial piety", and the emperor made a royal decree, which won the victory of "golden book sticks, iron paintings remain fragrant, Long Wenfeng seals, and Zhao returns to the universe, and Lan Ruo changed it." (See "Give Heaven a gift" The military attache dismounted from his horse to worship. This is the glory of other temples. Tianning Temple has three halls: the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahatma Hall and the Tibetan Scripture Building. There is an exquisite and beautiful pagoda-Guangxiao Tower in the northwest corner of the Tibetan Scripture Building.
These magnificent halls and buildings have preserved the legacy of the Song Dynasty. When you stop at this ancient Buddhist temple, you first come into view. Known as a "ghost talent", Fan Ceng, a famous modern painter from Nantong, China, inscribed the couplets of "in the eyes of mountains and rivers and in the dharma body of the world".