Sakyamuni with the three postures in the Grand Hall
the Jade BuddhaHall features a 1.7 m high jade statue of Buddha
each is different, but all have attained nirvana
the courtyard with the Bell Tower
the sitting Buddha
this is the female,with the right paw on a cub. The lion to the right is male, and has his paw on the world
two lions protect the entrance
time to clean up
Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion has 1000 arms
shops to the side sell religious souvenirs
The
Longhua Temple is Shanghai's oldest and largest Buddhist temple. Its name refers to the story that in ancient times a
dragon (long in Chinese) payed the place a visit.
Longhua was originally build in 242 to hold some of the cremated remains
of the Buddha. In the 10th century the temple was destroyed by wartfare but later rebuild in typical
Song Dynasty style.
Most
of present day buildings are from a major Qing restoration in the 19th century that kept the original style.
The temple has seen
its share of bloodshed, notably in 1927 when the
Kwomintang massacred here hundreds of supposed communists. These victims rest
in the nearby situated
Longhua Martyrs Cemetery. Also the Japanese army used the premises to detain their prisoners under harsh conditions.
In
front of the temple stands the 7-storied, 40 meters high
Longhua Pagoda. Bells on its eaves tinkle in the wind.
We
have visited Longhua several times, last time was in October 2010.
the Longhua Pagoda stands 40 meters high. Notice the small bells on the eaves
the front gate of Longhua Temple
the 500 golden arhat statues
she remains mobile
the Heavenly King of the East is the god of music
