Nanyue Iron Buddha Temple

Nanyue Iron Buddha Temple

Nanyue Iron Buddha Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Nanyue Iron Buddha Temple

The Iron Buddha Temple, originally named Baoguo Temple and also known as Iron Buddha Nunnery, was first built during the Baoqing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1225–1227). It is located at Zhugao Ridge at the foot of Yanxia Peak, about one li uphill from the present-day Yehou Academy. The temple derives its name from the large iron Buddha that was once housed there. The Iron Buddha, representing the Amitabha Buddha (the Buddha of Infinite Light), weighs ten thousand jin (approximately 5 metric tons) and was cast during the Ming Dynasty. The current temple buildings were rebuilt in 1914. In front of the temple are several white magnolia trees, which bloom in midsummer with fragrance that drifts for miles. In November 1938, Zhou Enlai, Guo Moruo, and He Zhonghan climbed Mount Nanyue together and stopped to rest at the Iron Buddha Temple. Guo Moruo wrote a poem titled “Poem on the Iron Buddha Temple”: “The iron Buddha dons a golden hue, / The Baoqing era’s tale is hard to construe. / I jest with divination’s mixed hexagrams to divine fate, / And borrow a simple meal to soothe my pate. / Chicken slices must yield to radish in taste, / Stinky tofu’s savor no sauce can outlast. / Yehou’s divination slips are said to number three myriad, / Here only an abandoned hall makes us feel wary.” The Iron Buddha is no longer there, hence the lines. The temple buildings are now used by the Nanyue Tea Farm.

Address: Zhugao Ridge, Mount Heng, Nanyue District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province