Tanzhe Temple

The Tanzhe Temple (zh-cpl|c=|p=Tán Zhè Sì|l=Temple of Pool and "Zhe" Tree) is a Buddhist temple situated in the Western Hills, a mountainous area to the west of Beijing. It is relatively well-known in Beijing. At one time, it was one of the most important temples in the nation. The temple is located at China National Highway 108 in the Mentougou District of Beijing.

Built in the Jin Dynasty (265–420), it has an age of around 1,600 years. The area of the entire temple is 100 mu (6.8 hectares), and its arrangement of halls is akin to that found in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The temple's central hall is its Mahavira Hall. 24 metres in length, 33 metres wide, and with a depth of 20 metres. Buddhist monks regularly perform chanting here, to the accompaniment of woodblocks, cup gongs, and bells. Despite the age of the temple, most of the statuary and paintings are fairly new.

Tanzhe Temple also has some other features. The bed of its former "Dragon Pool", which has dried up sits on the hill at the back of the temple. The "zhè" trees ("Cudrania tricuspidata"), now few in number, are located in the temple as well. Their number has dwindled shockingly from the original thousand or so. There are also persimmon trees, as well as a stand of bamboo.

External links

* [http://www.tanzhesi.com.cn/ Tanzhe Temple official site]
* [http://kinabaloo.com/tj.html Tanzhe Temple] Photo Gallery
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/10816453@N00/sets/72157600068899043/ Tanzhe Si] Photos of Tanzhe Si