Bo'ai King Temple

Bo'ai King Temple

Bo'ai King Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: Ninth Street in the city center of Bo'ai County

The main hall of the King Temple is well preserved. It is three bays wide and three bays deep, with all ridge ornaments intact. The central ridge features a dragon ornament with a precious gourd on top, and the hip ridges are adorned with running beasts. It has a flush-gable roof covered with gray tubular tiles. Bracket sets are found under the eaves, with a general configuration used throughout, ten sets on the front eave, each with two steps. The end blocks are shaped like grasshopper heads. The horizontal beams are through-beams, wooden columns are slightly tilted, with drum-shaped column bases. The eaves project one meter, and both the gable windbreak boards and the hanging fish ornaments are in good condition. The front features intact partitioned doors and windows. The rear eave bracket sets are single-step general configuration. The interior has four-rafter beams, with each tension beam supported by intricately carved flower bracket struts, demonstrating exquisite craftsmanship and high architectural artistry.

On the west side of the main hall, there are two side halls still in relatively good condition. The backyard houses sixteen steles from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them, three were erected during the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing, Longqing, and Chongzhen reigns, and thirteen during the Qing Dynasty, including those from the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns. The content of these steles pertains to the construction of the temple, repair of the opera stage, and records of shrine renovations. All the steles are protected by stele pavilions and stele walls.

On June 8, 2006, the People's Government of Henan Province announced it as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level key cultural relic protection units.

Source: Bo'ai County Government

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units