Nanputuo Temple
Overview
In Xiamen, the Nanputuo Temple is a major destination for Buddhists. Situated at the foot of the Five Old Men Peak and next to Xiamen University, this peaceful temple is over 1,000 years old and is Xiamen's oldest sight. Look for the character fo, which means Buddha in Chinese, carved into a rock, at 4.6m it's hard to miss.
Know more
The temple was once called Puzhao Temple (Universal Grace Temple). It was first built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), later, it was destroyed in the warfare during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During the reign of Qing Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722), it was rebuilt and renamed to Nanputuo Temple.
Covers 30,000 m2, the Nanputuo temple has four main buildings on the north-south axis, including Devajara Hall (the Hall of Heavenly Kings), Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), Dabei Hall (the Hall of Great Compassion) and a Pavilion which was built in 1936 , Buddha images from Burma, ivory sculptures and other works of art are stored in there. The many rooms flanking the main buildings include dormitories, libraries and study rooms for monks.
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