Jinshan Temple

Jinshan Temple

Jinshan Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Jinshan Temple is located in Luoning Jinshan Temple Village, Chenwu Township, Luoning County. It was originally built during the Yuan Dynasty and underwent renovations during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The temple faces south and currently features a main hall, side rooms, stone lions, a gate tower, stone stelae, and more. The main hall is five bays wide with a flush-gable roof. Its columns are all made of stone, and beneath the eaves are eleven sets of single-curved single-ang bracket sets with five tiers, including six sets at the column tops and five sets between columns, the ang faces are flat pentagons, the grasshopper heads are shaped like dragon heads, and the reduced-column method is used — the inner columns pass directly through the five-rafter beam. The entire main hall is majestic and magnificent. To the east of the hall is one side room, and in front of the side room stands a stele inscribed with “Stele for the Establishment of Guanghui and Dragon King Corridor Halls.” About 40 meters directly east of the main hall is a stone gate tower, 4.3 meters high, topped with an integrated stone-carved flush-gable roof featuring simple rafter heads. The gate tower has a stone plaque on the front inscribed with “Jinshan Divine Gate,” bearing an inscription from the Jiajing era reading “Imperially Bestowed,” while the back is inscribed with “Backed by the Luo River.” The 1917 *Luoning County Annals* record: “Built during the Yuan Dynasty’s Huangqing era at the foot of Jinmen Mountain, renovated in the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, and restored again in the 14th year of the Kangxi reign.” On either side of the gate tower stand a pair of stone lions lying on square lotus pedestals. Carved from sandstone, they are exquisitely detailed and lifelike. Scattered within the temple are remnants of sandstone column sections, whose carved components are believed to date from the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. The architectural style of this temple is unique, with vivid and finely crafted brick and stone carvings, giving it significant historical and artistic value.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province