Chongshou Temple in Zezhou

Chongshou Temple in Zezhou

Chongshou Temple in Zezhou is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Chongshou Temple

Chongshou Temple (Second Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Song Dynasty

Address: Xigao Village, 25 km north of Zezhou County

The temple was originally built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, renovated in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (719 AD), and rebuilt in the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1119 AD). It underwent multiple restorations during the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The existing layout features the Hall of Heavenly Kings inside the mountain gate, flanked by bell and drum towers, with the Shakyamuni Hall in the center. The east and west side halls are dedicated to Kṣitigarbha and Arhats, respectively, and the final hall is the Thunder Sound Hall. To the east and west of the hall are small courtyards: the eastern one is the Bodhisattva Courtyard, housing the Hall of the Three Great Bodhisattvas, while the western one is the Guan Yu Courtyard, containing the Hall of Guan Di.

The Shakyamuni Hall is a structure remaining from the Song Dynasty. The main hall is square-shaped with three bays, featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The eaves are adorned with bracket arms. The interior is divided into two levels. The central Buddha statue sits on a Sumeru pedestal carved with ornamental lotus petals and stone lions. The body of the stone pagoda is inscribed with the Dhāraṇī Sūtra, and the canopy is decorated with delicate openwork designs of beaded floral patterns.

The temple also preserves a Northern Wei Dynasty sculpture stele, carved with a house-shaped niche and a triad of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas. Additionally, there are twelve stone steles from the Song, Jin, Yuan, and Ming dynasties.

On October 7, 2019, Chongshou Temple in Zezhou was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

·Second Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

·Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units