The Grand Hall大雄宝殿

The majestic Grand Hall, the largest and the most important structure is located in the center of the temple. It is situated on a one-meter-high terrace with the stone balustrades surrounding it. With double upturned eaves, it copies the imperial palace of the Song Dynasty in architecture.

The Grand Hall is now 30.66 meters north of its original site. It was moved here in September, 2017 as a whole with everything in it and then lifted up 1.05 meters above the ground. So there is no change at all in appearance and layout both inside and outside the hall. With larger and deeper space created in front of the Grand Hall, more people can be accommodated in the courtyard for some Buddhist ceremonies and activities.

The Grand Hall is the permanent place where Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is enshrined. Sakyamuni as a Buddha is believed to possess all the virtues in the universe. His wisdom, compassion and power are infinite in educating all living creatures and liberating them from the abyss of misery. He is therefore venerated by Buddhists as “the Great Sage,” and the Grand Hall is literally named “Treasure Hall of the Great Sage.”

The Giant Incense Burner and a Pair of Stone Stelas

Before the Grand Hall is a large courtyard for worshipers to pay homage to the Buddha and other Buddhist deities. In the center of the courtyard there is a remarkable bronze tripod standing nearly five meters high. This is an incense burner donated by some Buddhists for the reopening of the temple in 1920s. You can see the names of the donors cast on it. The giant tripod is now looked upon as a treasure, so it is no longer used as a censer to burn incense. The main purpose of burning incense is, firstly, to respect the Buddha, and then, to convey by the incense the worshiper’s message to the Buddha. As burning of incense may give rise to a fire on a building, especially a wooden structure, burning incense is required to be done in the designated areas of the backyard.The flight of granite steps to the Grand Hall is flanked by a pair of stone stelas with lotus pattern carves on top, where Buddhist monk and believers serve rice every day for birds or hungry spirits of the departed. Chinese Buddhists embrace the conviction that salvation of a life is better than construction of a seven-storied Buddhist pagoda.