On
the wooded slopes of
Yu’an Hill, about 12 km
northwest of Kunming,
stands Bamboo Temple,
which is the first
temple built after Zen
Buddhist had been
introduced to Yunnan
early in 1279.
Legend goes that two
princes of Nanzhao
Kingdom under the reign
of Tang dynasty went
hunting in the hills
outside Kunming in the
year 638. A magic
rhinoceros led them deep
into a forest where they
met a group of
silver-haired and
ruddy-complexioned monks
carrying staves of
bamboo. When they were
sill in amazement, these
monks vanished in a
purple cloud, only
leaving their walking
sticks planted in the
ground. These bamboos
promptly sprouted leaves
and quickly became a
bamboo forest. In order
to honor the
supernatural encounter,
the devout brothers
built a Buddhist temple
here and named it Bamboo
Temple.
According to historic
record, the temple was
first built around 1280
during the reign of
Kublai Khan (the first
emperor of the Yuan
dynasty). It was said
that before the Song
dynasty, a religious
sect of Buddhism,
similar to Lamaism in
Tibet, was commonly
adopted. At the turn of
the Song and Yuan
dynasties, a famous monk
who had studied Buddhism
for about 25 years in
Central Plains of China
preached Buddhism at the
Bamboo Temple. With time
passing by, the temple
became more and more
famous in Yunnan as the
first Buddhist temple in
which Buddhism from the
interior of China was
introduced.
Burned down and
renovated in the 15th
century, it was restored
from 1883 to 1890.
Elaborately designed,
the temple is harmonious
with the surroundings.
It consists of five
parts, including
Tianwang (Heaven King)
Temple, Fanyin Pavilion,
Tiantailai Pavilion,
Daxiong Temple and
Huayan Pavilion.
The highlight of this
temple lies in the 500
life-size statues of
luohan. These statues
were seven years’
artistic creations of a
famous sculptor, Li
Guangxiu from Sichuan
and his five
apprentices. Before this
great task, they had
plunged themselves deep
into the thick of life
to study the images and
mental attitude of
various people.
Distinctive in
respective facial
expressions and
postures, these vivid
sculptures were reputed
as "a pearl in the
treasure house of
oriental sculpture".
Popular belief claims
that, by beginning with
any statue and counting
down the row to your
right as far as the
number of your age, you
will find a luohan that
best exemplifies your
inner self.
In the temple there are
also many valuable
inscriptions and
couplets on tablets and
pillars, providing
information of the
history, geography and
culture in the 13th and
14th. Now, this temple
attracts countless
visitors each year. |