Remains of the Baiyanggou Buddhist Temple

Baiyanggou Buddhist Temple Ruins

The Baiyanggou Buddhist Temple Ruins are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The remains of the Buddhist temple are located on the upper reaches of the Baiyang River, about 1 kilometer east of Baiyanggou Village in Liushuquan Farm, Hami City. The Baiyang River flows through the middle, dividing the site into eastern and western sections. Also known as the Taizang Buddhist Temple ruins, this is a large-scale Buddhist site from the flourishing period of Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the earliest and largest temples in the Hami region.

The main remnants of the Buddhist temple are found on the western bank of the Baiyang River. There are three main types of construction: the first involves carving cave chambers into the cliff face, then building them up with adobe bricks and adding an antechamber in front of the cave; the second consists of directly carving caves into the cliff; and the third involves constructing caves using adobe bricks on platforms connected to the cliff. These three cave-building methods are largely similar to those used in the Bezeklik Grottoes in Turpan. The floor plans of the caves are mainly of two types—rectangular being the most common, followed by square—with individual caves as well as caves connected in pairs or triples. The inner walls were coated with a layer of straw mud, and faint traces of colored murals can still be seen.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units