Scripture Temple

Scripture Temple

The Scripture Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

The Scripture Temple is a Mongolian Buddhist temple. It is located in Zhalanyingzi Village, Dasijiazi Township, about 100 li northeast of Zhangwu County. To the northeast lies Kangping County, and to the southeast is Faku County. It was first built in the 21st year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1841). The temple is situated on the ridge of Turtle Mountain, surrounded by eight peaks.

The founding abbot, Bao Gancuo Zhanlanbi (a native of Chaoyang), acting under the directive of benefactor Prince Bin Tu, traveled extensively to raise funds for the construction. Originally planned to have 81 rooms (nine times nine), it was ultimately built with 78 rooms due to unforeseen circumstances. The splendid three-story main hall features exquisitely carved beams, pillars, and brackets on both the first floor (scripture chanting hall) and the second floor (scripture depository), all painted in vibrant colors. The murals on three of the walls (excluding the north wall), both inside and out, vividly depict legends such as the “Reincarnation Chart,” the “Eight Trigrams and Astronomical Chart,” the Four Heavenly Kings, Sakyamuni Buddha, Heavenly Kings, guardian deities, and the folk tale “The Green Ox and the White Maiden.” The temple complex once included a three-room mountain gate (demolished), 14 side rooms for monastic use (demolished), a seven-room kitchen (demolished), multiple auxiliary buildings (including monks’ dormitories), a pair of stone lions and flagpoles at the mountain gate (removed), and a prayer wheel tower. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, the temple was named Zhalan Temple according to its charter, “Primordial Buddhist Gate.” Its architectural style partially imitates the Potala Palace in Tibet and is classified as a castellation-style structure.

In the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (1901), the second abbot, Bao Gancuo Tugejie, gained fame for amassing a large collection of scriptures, numbering 512 volumes. The number of monks reached 512, and two white pagodas were built northeast of the main hall (destroyed during the Cultural Revolution). The temple was renamed the “Scripture Temple,” a name that has endured to this day. In 1988, the Scripture Temple was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Dasijiazi Town: Dasijiazi Township is located at the junction of Kangping, Zhangwu, and Faku counties, covering a total area of 113.7 square kilometers. It administers six administrative villages: Zhalanyingzi, Gongjiawo, Ximing, Dongliang, Shengli, and Dasijiazi, with 3,200 households and a population of 12,000. The terrain of the township is primarily shallow hills and hillocks. The arable land area spans 53,000 mu, mainly cultivating grain and soybeans.

In recent years, transportation in Dasijiazi Township has improved, with 23.35 kilometers of paved roads connecting the south to Shenyang, the north to Inner Mongolia, the west to Fuxin and Zhangwu, and the east to Kangping and Faku. More details about Dasijiazi Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Liaoning Province