Kuandian Qingquan Temple

Kuandian Qingquan Temple

Qingquan Temple is located on the volcanic slopes of Huangyishan Mountain in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, and is a well-known Buddhist site.

Qingquan Temple was first built in the early Ming Dynasty, destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and restoration began in 1995. It now covers an area of 20,000 square meters, with a construction area of 1,200 square meters.

On the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth days of the fourth lunar month each year, residents from both urban and rural areas flock to the temple to offer incense and pray for blessings and disaster relief.

The Mahavira Hall in Qingquan Temple is a double-eaved hip-and-gable structure with five bays in width and three in depth, covering a construction area of over 600 square meters. In front of the hall stand a pair of white marble stone lions, along with an incense burner and a four-tiered precious tripod, all set amid solemn banners and streamers. At the center of the main hall is enshrined the Sakyamuni Buddha. "Sakyamuni" is an honorific title; his original name was Siddhartha Gautama. "Sakyamuni" is often referred to as "Buddha" or "Buddha," meaning "the Enlightened One" or "the Knower." In Chinese folk tradition, he is called "Fo Ye" (Buddha Lord). Another name for Sakyamuni is "Tathagata Buddha." "Tathagata" means "one who has come from the truth (absolute truth)." Flanking Sakyamuni are two revered arhats—Ānanda and Mahākāśyapa. Ānanda is known as the foremost in hearing and represents "understanding" and wisdom; Mahākāśyapa is known as the foremost in ascetic practice and represents actual "action."

Nestled among the green mountains and clear waters of Huangyishan Volcanic Forest Park, Qingquan Temple is like a heavenly paradise, a secluded utopia, serene and elegant.