Lingyan Temple in Jinan
Lingyan Temple is famous for its long religious history and profound cultural roots as a Buddhist temple and one of the major historical and cultural sites under state protection. You can not only enjoy the breath-taking natural sceneray, but also the ancient buildings inside the temple.
Type:Temple, Cultural Site
Chinese Name: 灵岩寺
Opening Hours: 8:00 a.m.~5:00 p.m
Admission Ticket: 45 RMB
Location: South piedmont of Taishan Mountain, Changqing District, Jinan City, Shandong Province(山东省济南市长庆区泰山南麓)
Lingyan Temple
Lingyan Temple was founded in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, has been one of the four most important temples in China since it was built more than 1,600 years ago in Jinan, Shandong province. Its peak lasted from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Lingyan Temple is famous for its long religious history and profound cultural roots as a Buddhist temple and one of the major historical and cultural sites under state protection. You can not only enjoy the breath-taking natural sceneray, but also the ancient buildings inside the temple.
Why Is Lingyan Temple So Special?
Famous scenic spots inside and outside the Lingyan temple are the age-old cypresses, the Winding Sandalwood, the Jicui Zhengming Hall, the White cloud cave, the dropping cliff, and the Langgong Stone. Inside the temple the dark green ancient trees and weired-shaped rocks stand beside the lofty halls, the scenic area looks like a splendid painting.
Main Attractions of Lingyan Temple
In the scenic area, there are dozens of tourist attractions in the scenic area, such as, Thousand Buddha Hall, Pizhi Tower, Tomb Tower Forest and Daxiongbao Hall.
Thousand Buddha Hall
Thousand Buddha Hall is named for there are many Buddha statues in the hall. This temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty. The existing wooden structure we now see is rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. The hall is seven bays wide and four bays deep. The Buddhist temple is constructed on a tall pedestal in the mountain. The most popular things with tourists and experts is the forty colored clay Arhats statuesarranged around the interior hall, of which thirty-two clay Arhats statues were made in 1066 in Song Dynasty, and eight in the Ming Dynasty.
Pizhi Tower
Pizhi Tower is octagonal-based, nine-story tall, brick-and-stone pagoda built from 1056 to 1063 during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song. It stands at a height of 54 meters. The basic structure of the tower is built of brick, although the exterior facade has carved stone elements. At the base of the pagoda is a stone pedestal carved on four sides with scenes of the Buddhist afterlife and torture scenes in Hell.
Tomb Tower Forest
There are 167 stone tomb pagodas, 81 epitaph and stone tablets, which dates back to Northern Wei, Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The tomb pagodas are composed of Tazuo, bottle tower, Tasha of three parts, basically the same as dedicated to style. Tazuo has a square, circular or octagonal shape, embossed with plutonium. There is usually an epitaph or stone tablets beside the pagoda, which recorded the life story and experience of monks.
How to get to Lingyan Temple
Travel with ChinaDragonTours (top recommended)
If you want to get out of the traffic and hassle of navigation, you can book a private tour package that includes visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local guide and driver will escort you to the Lingyan Temple and most convenient way and take care of all the details. You just have to focus on the visiting.
Independent Traveler
Bus
- You can take buses that leave for Tai’an from the square of Jinan train station, then get off at Lingyan Monastery Square, then transfer to a taxi to take you to the temple.
- You can take No.60 tourist bus at Qiefang Qiao Bus Stop or Provincial Sports Centre Bus Stop to the scenic spot.
