Situated on Liurong Road, this world famous ancient Buddhist temple was built in 537 in the Liang dynasty during the Southern dynasties (386-581). More than 1460 years ago in the Liang dynasty, Emperor Liangwu ordered the master priest, Tanyu to built Baozhuangyan Temple to store the Buddhist bones brought from Kampuchea. During the Northern Song dynasty, a great writer - Su Shi, on a visit to this temple was attracted by the six banyan trees surrounding it and wrote the inscription "Liu Rong" (Six Banyan Trees).
This temple has since been known as Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. The temple originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple was burned and rebuilt in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). a writer called Su Shi wrote the inscription Liu Rong (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there and it has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.The major structure in this temple is the Flowery Pagoda, built in 1097. Named for its colorful exterior, this 57 meter high pagoda is in the center of the temple, with a bronze column with 1,000 Buddhist sculptures on top.
To the west of the pagoda is Grand Hall, a magnificent hall rebuilt in 1983 with an area of 300 square meters. In this hall are enshrined three huge images: Sakyamuni in the middle, Amitabha on the left and Maitreya on the right. These elaborate brass images were made in 1633 during the Qing dynasty. Each of the images is 6m high and weighs 10 tons, and are the largest existing ancient brass images in Guangdong province. In the Banyan Garden, there is Hall of Liuzu, where the copper image of Liuzu - the sixth generation of China's Buddhist master was enshrined. This life-like image is 1.8 meters high and weighs 1 ton. It was meticulously cast in 989 in the Northern Song dynasty.
The temple's proximity to foreign consulates in Guangzhou has made it a regular destination for families participating in the international adoption of children from China. Typically families receive blessings for their newly adopted children at this temple in front of the statue of Kuan Yin. |
