Lingyin Temple

Lingyin Temple is found at the northwest of West Lake. It is one of the ten famous Buddhist temples in China. The legend has it that the Indian shaman named Huili in 326 AD once visits Hangzhou and was inspired by the spiritual nature of the scenery, thus he built a temple here and named the temple Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat). Be sheltered by forested hills on three sides, the temple is really a quite sanctuary. It is the largest and most resplendent temple in Hangzhou. It prospered and flourished during the Five Dynasties Period(907 AD - 960 AD) when there were 9 buildings, 18 towers, and 72 halls with 1,300 rooms and more than 3,000 monks. Over history, the temple has been ruined and undergone renovation several times. It has been rebuilt to its original style recently.  

The principal constructions in the temple are the Palace of Heavenly King and the Palace of Great Hero. The statue of Buddha Mile at the entrance of the Palace of Heavenly King has had a long history of 200 years. The Palace of Great Hero with a height of 33.6 meters is one of the best preserved monolayer temple with double eaves. The gold-painted statue of Sakyamuni is housed in the middlemost Palace of Great Hero. Carved from 24 sections of camphor wood with an overall height of 19.69 meters, the statue is one of the largest wooden statues in China. At the two sides of the two Palaces are the stone pagodas which have a history of 1,000 years.

Feilai Peak is another highlight of Lingyin Temple. On its crag are 345 carved Buddhist statues made in the Five Dynasties Period (907 AD - 960 AD), Song (960 AD -1279 AD) and Yuan (1279 AD -1368 AD) dynasties. The statues of Lama Buddhism are the most precious among them and regarded as the gem in statue carvings of China.