Qianshan Da'an Temple

Qianshan Da'an Temple

Da'an Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Da'an Temple is located in the southern valley of Qianshan and is one of the five major Buddhist monasteries in the area. It is a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit in Anshan City. Existing inscriptions from the Ming Dynasty’s 18th year of the Jiajing era (1539), the 12th year of the Wanli era (1584), the Qing Dynasty’s 24th year of the Kangxi era (1685), the 4th year of the Daoguang era (1824), the 11th year of the Daoguang era (1831), and the 13th year of the Daoguang era (1833) indicate that Zhonghui (the central temple area) has suffered multiple disasters throughout history and has been rebuilt several times.

The mountain gate is a hip-and-gable style structure with a brick-and-stone construction. It has a single bay width, with a ridge carved with the design of two dragons playing with a pearl, and dragon heads at both ends. The stone arched lintel is inscribed horizontally with the six characters “敕建大安禅林” (Imperially Commissioned Da'an Buddhist Monastery). On either side of the gate are stone cliffs, and there is a pair of stone lions outside the gate, erected in the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935) by Abbot Tongling.

The Skanda Hall is situated to the north and above the mountain gate. It is a flush-gable style building with a brick-and-timber structure, featuring three bays in width and a surrounding corridor. Inside the hall are clay statues of Maitreya and Skanda, flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings.

The main hall is a flush-gable style structure with a brick-and-timber construction, spanning three bays in width and depth. The main ridge features brick carvings, and the sloping ridges are adorned with brick-carved running beasts. Under the eaves are column-top brackets and intercolumnar bracket sets of the seven-component, triple-curved type. The corridor is supported by hexagonal stone pillars with drum-shaped bases. Inside the hall are clay statues of Sakyamuni, the Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha. On either side of the main hall are auxiliary rooms, three bays each—on the east side is the meditation room, and on the sides are the guest rooms.

The bell tower is a hip-and-gable style structure with a brick-and-timber construction. Inside the tower is an iron bell cast in the 9th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era.

The Arhat Cave is approximately 20 meters long and 3 meters wide. It is a naturally formed cave that was later slightly modified by human hands. Inside the cave, a stone wall divides it into two sections. The northern section houses a statue of Guanyin, flanked by the Eighteen Arhats; the southern section is where monks reside. Above the southern cave is a stone plaque inscribed with the four characters “佛光普照” (Buddha’s Light Shines Everywhere).

The stone pagoda is located about 50 meters south of the Da'an Temple mountain gate. It is a solid, seven-tiered, hexagonal stone structure with closely stacked eaves, standing approximately 15 meters tall.

Protected Area: With the center point of the mountain gate as the base, the protected zone extends 80 meters east, 20 meters south, 100 meters west, and 60 meters north.

Construction Control Zone: A primary control zone extends 45 meters beyond the protected area, and a secondary control zone extends 50 meters beyond the primary zone.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province