Wofo Temple (Wofosi) in Beijing
Chinese Name: 卧佛寺
English Name: Wofo Temple in Beijing
Type: Temple, Buddhism culture & old temple
Best Time: All Year Around, but Spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Recommended Visiting Hours: 3-4 Hours
Opening Hours:High season 6:00-21:00, low season 6:30-21:00
Ticket:15 RMB
Location: In the south of Beijing, east of Yongdingmennei street, dongcheng district
Why is Wofo Temple so Special?
Temple of the Sleeping Buddha (Wofosi) or The Reclining Buddha Temple is named after the reclining Buddha statue in the temple, which is more than 1300 years old. The cherry ditch is about 500 meters northwest of the Reclining Buddha Temple. This is a quiet valley with wide outside and narrow inside. On both sides are beautiful and steep mountains. A winding brook is clear and bottomless.
History of Wofo Temple
When Shifangpujue Temple was first built, it was not as large as it is now. At that time, there was only the middle road.
The Yuan Dynasty was a turning point in the history of the temple’s development. Starting from the English Emperor Shuo De Ba La, four successive generations of emperors extended the temple for a period of ten years.
The Ming Dynasty had five renovations and six rides, which was the heyday of the temple.
It was not until the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty that Prince Yi Yunxiang gave up his capital, xiu’zhi, that the Shifang Pujue Temple began to rise again. Yunxiang’s construction lasted until the early years of Ganlong.
Layout of Wofo Temple
The shifang pujue temple faces south and is divided into three roads. There are memorial arches, merit pools, bell and drum towers, mountain gate halls, four heavenly kings halls, iii Buddha halls, lying Buddha halls, sutra halls in the middle road, dharma halls and sido princelings halls on both sides. The East Road Courtyard is the living place for monks. There are six courtyards, including the Da Zhai Hall, Da Chan Hall, Ji Yong Xuan, Qingliang Hall and Zushi Courtyard. West road 5 into the courtyard, including 3 palace courtyard. Therefore, the east and west roads are called “three palaces and six courts”.
Temple Architecture
Three Buddhist Temples
The Three Buddha Hall is the most important hall in the Sleeping Buddha Temple. It is named for worshiping the Three Buddha. On the sumeru pedestal, which is about 1 meter high, three 2.5 meter high clay sculpture gold-plated Buddha statues sit on the lotus pedestal. the two sides of the temple are 18 arhats of colorful sculpture. The three Buddha halls have east and west side halls, the east side hall houses the images of “prince sido” and “king of persian unseen,” and the west side hall houses the images of “bodhidharma patriarch” and “bodhisattva earth tibet”.
Wofo Hall
The reclining Buddha hall is three rooms wide, with green glazed tiles, yellow trim and bills resting on the top of the mountain. The couplets on both sides were written by Empress Dowager Cixi. The reclining Buddha was cast in the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of governance (1321). The bronze Buddha sleeps horizontally with his head to the west and his left hand lying naturally on his leg and his right hand bending his head.
Hall of Heavenly Kings
Six Buddha statues are enshrined in the temple: Maitreya Buddha, the four heavenly kings and Wei Tuo Bodhisattva.
Maitreya Bodhisattva, paraphrased as cishi, is one of the eight Buddhists.
The four heavenly kings are the gods of protecting Buddhism, also known as the four heavenly kings of protecting the world. They are the four heavenly gods of Buddhism.
How to Get There
- Bus: take bus 318, 360, 333 and 904 to reach the Botanical Garden or Sleeping Buddha Temple Station.
Nearby Attractions
Botanical Garden: Beijing Botanical Garden is a botanical garden situated in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, China between Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills) Park and Jade Spring Mountain in the Western Hills.
Xiangshan Park: It is a royal garden with mountain forest characteristics. In the past, emperors used to go there to hunt and enjoy the cool in summer and autumn. There are many cultural relics and historic sites in the park, which are the architectural styles of Ming and Qing dynasties.
