Nanjing Pilu Temple

Nanjing Pilu Temple

Nanjing Pilu Temple is a protected cultural heritage site of Nanjing.

Nanjing Pilu Temple

"If I am appointed to oversee the Two Rivers, I will build you a nunnery." During the Qing Dynasty's Tongzhi era, Zeng Guoquan, leader of the Xiang Army, made this playful vow to Master Haifeng while touring Mount Heng in Nanyue.

In the 10th year of the Guangxu reign (1884), after Zeng Guoquan was promoted to Viceroy of Liangjiang, he remained committed to fulfilling his promise. He ordered the generals of the Xiang Army to donate substantial funds and transport fragrant wood from Mount Heng in Nanyue. They expanded a small nunnery built during the Ming Jiajing era, located near the Viceroy’s Office of Liangjiang (now in Nanjing), into a magnificent temple. Since the temple enshrined the Vairocana Buddha, it was named Pilu Temple.

At that time, Pilu Temple spanned from Qingxi River in the east to Dabeixiang in the west, Taiping Bridge in the north, and Hanfu Street in the south, making it the largest temple in Nanjing. Master Haifeng became the temple’s first abbot.

Pilu Temple rose to national prominence when Nanjing became the capital of the Republic of China. Situated at the beginning of Changjiang Road, the political and cultural center of the time, it quickly became the hub of Buddhism in China. The Chinese Buddhist Association, Chinese Buddhist Studies Research Association, Chinese Religious Fellowship, and the Capital Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital were all located here. Prominent figures of the Republic frequently visited, and even Dr. Sun Yat-sen came here for quiet contemplation. At that time, the temple housed a Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, which enshrined 3,000 gilded copper Buddha statues of various designs, resplendent in gold and brilliance—an iconic sight of the Republican era.

During the Cultural Revolution, all 3,000 Buddha statues at Pilu Temple were lost, and the halls were repurposed as factories. In 1988, Zhao Puchu, then Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Chinese Buddhist Association, revisited the temple where he had once lived and worked for many years in his youth. Facing the changed surroundings, Zhao expressed deep emotion and voiced his desire to restore Pilu Temple. A decade later, with government support, the temple was finally restored and incense burned once again. In 2004, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda—the largest single ancient building in Han-style Chinese Buddhism in China—was reconstructed, restoring its former grandeur.

Today, as you stroll through the incense-filled Pilu Temple, the two ginkgo trees said to have been personally planted by Zeng Guoquan bear abundant fruit, as if narrating a century of karmic cycles. In the expanded Mahavira Hall, the fragrant wood pillars transported from Mount Heng still exude a subtle aroma. Behind the hall, beneath two 300-year-old boxwood trees, the water in two ancient wells remains cool and sweet. Passing the boxwood trees and the old wells, you ascend the steps where the three gilded characters “万佛楼” (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda) shine brilliantly under the upturned eaves. Outside the pagoda, yellow walls, red windows, and glazed flying eaves create a delightful visual harmony. Inside, carved beams and painted rafters, ornate lanterns, and caisson ceilings dazzle the eye. Over 10,000 uniquely shaped gilded copper Buddha statues gleam brilliantly, rivaling the sunlight, as devout worshippers come to offer their reverence.

Address: No. 4, Hanfu Street, Qinhuai District, Nanjing (near Changjiang Road)

Type: Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: 30–50 minutes

Phone: 025-8440543

Opening Hours:

8:00-18:00

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 20.0 RMB