Baoying Ningguo Temple

Baoying Ningguo Temple

Baoying Ningguo Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Baoying Ningguo Temple in Baoying County was first built in the 11th year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (637 AD), established by Monk Wuchen. Its original site was at the eastern end of Yeting Road in the county town, and it was then

called Ningguo Jiaosi, later renamed Ningguo Chansi, with a history of 1,368 years to date. Throughout the dynasties, monks and officials made numerous renovations and expansions. According to historical records, the temple was grand in scale, with the plaque of the Mahavira Hall inscribed by the great Tang Dynasty calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. The temple housed a bronze bell cast in the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era, distributed across six locations, along with hundreds of halls and pavilions, earning the saying "galloping horses could pass through the mountain gate." Behind the temple stood the Thousand Buddha Tower, enshrining Sakyamuni as the main deity. Each beam and column inside the tower featured intricately carved Buddha statues in various forms, forming the scene of "a thousand Buddhas surrounding Vairocana." In the sixth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty, the Mahavira Hall was destroyed in a fire. Over the past hundred years, the ancient temple has suffered from repeated natural disasters and was on the verge of disappearing.

In March 1993, the People’s Government of Baoying County decided to rebuild Ningguo Temple on the former sites of the City God Temple and Wanshou Nunnery. The planned construction area spans approximately 40,000 square meters, bounded by Dongmen Street to the north, Xinjian Lane to the south, Zhangxianmiao Bridge to the west, and Anyi South Road to the east. The layout is divided into three zones and one belt: the central axis of the temple complex and the sightseeing area in the middle; the eastern section includes the Heavenly King

Hall, Bell Tower, East Side Halls, and surrounding antique-style architecture; the western section includes the Drum Tower, Pagoda, Ordination Platform, Dharma Hall, West Side Halls, Dining Hall, and living quarters. By 2005, the new constructions included the Heavenly King Hall, Scripture Depository, the eastern antique architectural complex, as well as the Mahavira Hall, Jade Buddha Hall, and Arhat Hall. The plaque on the west side door of the Heavenly King Hall, inscribed with “Sea of Assembled Sangha,” was written by Venerable Kuan Yu, abbot of the Maitreya Inner Monastery in Taiwan and also abbot of Changzhou Tianning Temple. The plaque of the Mahavira Hall was inscribed by Zhao Puchu, former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Buddhist Association of China.

Ningguo Temple is currently being developed according to the plan, with funding from the temple itself and donations from devotees. The ongoing construction includes the South Mountain Gate Hall, Ancestral Hall, Abbot’s Quarters, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Dharma Hall, Dining Hall, Ordination Platform, and Buddhist Relics Museum. The final project will be the construction of the Ningguo Pagoda, planned to stand 63.7 meters tall—symbolizing the year 637 when the temple was first built. At present, Ningguo Temple has become the largest and most popular Buddhist temple in Baoying, receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, with numbers growing each year.

Stepping into the historic Ningguo Temple, one sees magnificent halls covered with golden glazed tiles, featuring double eaves and soaring upturned corners. The atmosphere is majestic, with serene Buddhist chants echoing inside, accompanied by lingering fragrances that refresh the soul. The temple houses the Thousand Buddha Tower and Butterfly Hall, along with eight rare and precious red sandalwood-carved pillars with gold-plated coiling dragons, each 1.2 meters in diameter, as well as white marble reliefs depicting the Eight Great Deeds of Sakyamuni—treasures seldom seen elsewhere in the world. According to the monks, the temple currently keeps two large bronze bells. Every New Year’s Eve, many locals come here to ring the bells, praying for good fortune in the coming year. Upon learning that our newspaper, together with local religious and tourism authorities, was holding a competition to select the most distinctive bell-ringing spot for blessings, the temple expressed support and decided to collaborate with other temples across the city in 2008 to launch a joint bell-ringing blessing event.

The Temple’s Most Treasured Relic

It is said that during the Anti-Japanese War, at the request of the government, the then President of the Buddhist Association of China, Master Taixu, led a delegation to visit countries including India, where they were received by Indian President Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Nehru. To symbolize the friendly relations between China and India, the Indian government presented the delegation with a sacred relic—the Buddha’s relics, which were then a national treasure of India at the time. These relics were later enshrined at the Maitreya Inner Monastery on Xiufeng Mountain in Taiwan. In 2004, at the request of Abbot Mingbo of Ningguo Temple, Venerable Kuan Yu, abbot of the Maitreya Inner Monastery, specially allocated a portion of the Buddha’s relics to be enshrined and venerated at Ningguo Temple. Thanks to careful arrangements by friends, we had the rare opportunity to enter the temple and pay homage to the shrine where the true relics of Sakyamuni Buddha are enshrined.