Ruins of Kaihua Temple on Mengshan Mountain

Ruins of Kaihua Temple on Mengshan Mountain

The ruins of Kaihua Temple on Mengshan Mountain are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ruins of Kaihua Temple on Mengshan Mountain

Era: Tang and Song Dynasties

Address: Sidi Village, Luocheng Subdistrict, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City

The original site of Kaihua Temple is located on the northern peak of Mengshan Mountain. Its founding date is unknown. It was called Dayan Temple because there were rocks behind the temple. In the second year of the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (551 AD), a Buddha statue was carved out of the rock behind the temple, and about 800 meters south of the temple, another temple was built and granted the name “Kaihua.” Later, the original Dayan Temple became the rear temple of Kaihua, and the newly built one became the front temple of Kaihua. The ruins of Kaihua Temple now preserve two relics: the Great Buddha’s body and the Twin Pagodas. The Great Buddha’s body is about 60 meters high.

The Twin Pagodas were first built in the first year of the Chunhua era of the Song Dynasty (990 AD), facing east and standing west, with a 1-meter gap between them. Their total height is 8.3 meters. They are called the “Twin Pagodas” because their bases are connected. Both pagodas are single-story, square, pavilion-style brick structures, each with sides 3.3 meters long, consisting of a base, body, and top. The south pagoda has an inscription on its lintel that reads “Sakyamuni Relic Pagoda,” while the north pagoda’s lintel is inscribed with “Dipankara Relic Pagoda.” The existing structures date back to the Song Dynasty.

In 2019, the ruins of Kaihua Temple on Mengshan Mountain were included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units