Wanghai Temple on the Dongtai Peak of Mount Wutai

Wanghai Temple on the Dongtai Peak of Mount Wutai

Wanghai Temple on the Dongtai Peak of Mount Wutai is a cultural relic protection unit of Wutai County.

Wanghai Temple on the Dongtai Peak of Mount Wutai is located about 3,000 meters east of Dongtaigou Village, Taihuai Town, Wutai County. It faces south with a north orientation, stretches 49.4 meters from east to west, and covers an area of 5,028.92 square meters.

According to the Ming Dynasty’s *Qingliang Mountain Annals*, it was built in the first year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (581), and was renovated during the Yuan Dynasty and the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566), then rebuilt in the 14th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1749). The existing structures, except for the Manjushri Hall which dates back to the Qing Dynasty, are all newly built. The temple follows a single-courtyard layout, with the mountain gate (also serving as the Heavenly King Hall), the Mahavira Hall, and the Manjushri Hall (Manjushri Treasure Hall) arranged along the central axis. The Manjushri Hall consists of three cave chambers, built on a stone foundation that is 12.08 meters wide, 9.56 meters deep, and 0.35 meters high, with a double-sloped stone slab roof and no beams. Inside the temple, there is one Buddhist statue from the Song Dynasty, one iron bell cast in the 7th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1579), and two steles recording renovations from the Qing Dynasty. In July 1988, the People's Government of Wutai County designated it as a county-level cultural relic protection unit. (*A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou*)

Source: Xinzhou Net

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