Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Name: Huayan Temple

Era: Ming Dynasty

Address: Guojunba Village, Jinqiao Township, Pengxi County, Sichuan Province

Huayan Temple (formerly known as “Wugu Temple”) is located in Guojunba Village, Jinqiao Township, Pengxi County. The temple faces south, and currently preserves ancient buildings such as the Mahavira Hall and side chambers on the left, as well as murals in the Mahavira Hall.

The Mahavira Hall was constructed in the 12th year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1447), featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable wooden structure supported by bracket sets. It is three bays wide totaling 11.45 meters, three bays deep totaling 10.8 meters, with an overall height of 8 meters, a column diameter of 0.4 meter, and a plain platform base 0.3 meter high. There are a total of 23 brackets under the eaves, all of which on the front facade follow the five-tier style, featuring single angled arm supports and double downward-projecting horns, the tips of which are carved with three coiled cloud motifs. The beam brackets inside the hall are adorned with carvings of immortal grasses and exquisite flowers in high relief, featuring beautiful designs that remain well-preserved. The east and west walls of the main hall house a total of five murals covering an area of 17.4 square meters; these are devotional paintings depicting celestial beings, collectively titled “Offerings from Immortals and Heavens,” portraying twenty-two figures including heavenly kings and dragon deities. The murals are executed in a fine-line drawing and light-wash painting technique on white ground. The Huayan Temple murals are among the very few surviving examples of ancient mural art in the Suining area, noted for their excellent preservation and exceptional value. Provincial cultural relics experts have commented: “The Huayan Temple murals, believed to be works from the late Ming period, represent yet another distinctive style within the genre of folk depictions of celestial and Buddhist figures.”

The construction date of the side chambers is unknown. They are six bays wide totaling 22.65 meters and four bays deep totaling 5.4 meters.

On January 6, 2004, the main hall and murals of Huayan Temple were designated as City-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units by the Suining Municipal People’s Government.

Huayan Temple has preserved much of its original historical appearance.

Protected Area: 50 meters outward from the outer edge of the main hall's platform base.

Construction Control Zone: an additional 20 meters extending beyond the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units