Nanjing Jile Temple

Nanjing Jile Temple

Nanjing Jile Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jile Temple (formerly known as Jile Nunnery) is located in Baima Village, Zhujiang Town, Pukou District, Nanjing. It was renamed in 1993 and rebuilt at its current site. The 1726 edition of the Jiangpu County Annals from the Qing Dynasty’s Yongzheng reign, in the section on historic sites, records: “Jile Nunnery, originally situated inside the Small East Gate (now the southern end of Yiyuan Lane, Zhujiang Town, Pukou District), was built during the Shunzhi era (1644–1661), surrounded by streams and bridges, with verdant pines and cypresses, offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.” The 37th volume of the 1875 Jiangpu Pi Cheng (Records of Jiangpu) also contains the same account in the section on historic sites.

In the late 1960s, due to urban redevelopment and relocation, it was moved about 100 meters west of Yiyuan Lane. At that time, it had one main hall, five single-story buildings, and three monks. In 1993, with approval from the Jiangpu County People’s Government, it was renamed Jile Temple and authorized to relocate north of Jiangpu County town (now north of Jiangpu Senior High School in Pukou District). The foundation stone was laid on the 14th day and construction began on the 15th day of the ninth lunar month that year, and the temple was completed the following year. The construction cost over a million yuan, all donated by benefactors.

The current Jile Temple is located in Baima Village, Zhujiang Town, Pukou, adjacent to Baima Lake in Pukou District. Surrounded by pines and cypresses, it enjoys beautiful mountain and water scenery that complement each other. The temple complex is built in a traditional quadrangle style and includes a 5-room Mahavira Hall, a 5-room Heavenly King Hall, an 11-room chanting hall, as well as over fifty east and west side rooms and dining halls, covering a total area of nearly 20,000 square meters. Abbot Master Xindeng, in order to better promote Buddhism, pledged to build a large chanting hall capable of accommodating a thousand people for simultaneous practice. The Grand Amitabha Hall was founded in November 2005 and completed in March 2008.

Transportation Guide

Address: Xiangshan Road, Pukou District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Transit: Take bus 610 within Nanjing City and get off at Xiangshan North Station, then walk north to reach the temple.