
Dazhao
Temple, 'Wuliang Si (Infinite Temple)' in Chinese, is the oldest
building and the largest temple in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. Locally,
people usually refer to it as the Silver Buddha Temple (Yinfo Si)
for it is here that there is a rare silver statue of Sakyamuni that
measures 2.5-meter-high (8.2-foot-high).
The construction of the temple was completed in 1580 during the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it is therefore the oldest Lamaist
Buddhist temple in Inner Mongolia. There was a major reconstruction
in 1640 although much of the original architectural style was retained.
Dazhao Temple owns its fame to a visit by the third Tibetan Dalai
Lama in 1586, when he came to dedicate the Silver Buddha statue.
As a consequence Hohhot became a religious center for people from
all over Mongolia who came to worship at the temple. Another notable
event in the temple's long history was a visit by Emperor Kangxi
during the early part of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The
temple is now a well-known tourist attraction because of the impressive
buildings, splendid statues, delicate frescos, musical instruments
and fine collection of Buddhist scriptures. Of its abundant religious
relics perhaps the most notable are the 'Three Marvelous Treasures',
a title given to the Silver Buddha, the carved dragons on the
huge golden pillars on either side of the statue and the murals
commemorating the Emperor's visit.
Except for the main hall, the existing buildings within the temple
complex are nearly all in the Han style. The main hall is a lamasery
combining both Tibetan and Han styles of architecture. It has three
parts. The front part is a two-story hall with an empty pavilion
in the first floor; Jing Tang (the hall for chanting) and Fo Tang
(the hall for worshiping Buddha) are central and rear sections.
The perfectly preserved Silver Buddha lies in Fo Tang as it has
for some four hundred years. In the splendid and solemn front of
the hall, there is a pair of iron lions with their heads held high.