Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t10: Tanzhe Temple
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t10
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Tanzhe Temple
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Tanzhe Temple (Tanzhe Vihar), known as the oldest temple in Beijing, is originally named as Jiafu Temple and later renamed Xiuyun Temple. There was a dragon pond behind the temple and cudrania tricuspidata in the mountain, therefore, it was named “Tanzhe” temple.
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It is located in Mentougou district, Beijing, 40 km away from downtown Beijing. The temple is extremely huge. The inside area of the temple is 2.5 hectare with a total of 943 rooms among which 638 rooms belong to the ancient architecture, while the outside area is 11.2 hectare. The temple remains in the style of Ming and Qing Dynasty and is quiet famous for being the biggest architectural complex of ancient temples in Beijing.
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Tanzhe Temple was originally built in the Yongjia first year of Jin (307 CE) or the Jianxing fourth year (316 CE). During Wansui Tongtian period of the reign of Queen Wu Zetian, Tang Dynasty (696- 697 CE), Tanzhe Temple was enlarged and became very popular. Many believers would come to burn incense here, thus making it the most important temple in Youzhou. On the Huichang fifth year of Tang (845 CE), Li Yan, the Emperor Wuzong of Tang (841-846 CE) disapproved of Buddhism and as a result Tanzhe Temple was abandoned. Later, the temple was restored again but suffered with sluggish development. In the Jin Dynasty, several Zen masters in Tanzhe temple gained wide recognition from public and the temple restored reputation again. In the Huangtong first year of Jin Dynasty (1141), the emperor himself paid a pilgrimage visit to Tanzhe Temple. He issued an order to repair and expand the temple. As the time went into Yuan Dynasty, princess Miaoyan, daughter of Kublai Khan, became a nun at Tanzhe Temple and spent her entire life there. At the end of Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Shun (on the throne from 1333-1368), who was a firm believer of Buddhism, paid a special attention to Tanzhe Temple. He once invited Zen Master Xue Jian of Tanzhe Temple to enjoy dinner cooked by his younger sister with him. Such a special treatment is said to be unprecedented. Yao Guangxiao, an important minister during the early Ming Dynasty, was originally a monk with Dao Yan as his *dharma* name, who once helped Zhu Di (on the throne from 1403-1424) to usurp the throne. Afterwards, he resigned and returned to Tanzhe Temple to practice Buddhism and Emperor Zhu Di visited him over and over again. Most of the emperors of Ming Dynasty and their wives were all firm believers of Buddhism and the government granted funds repeatedly to overhaul and expand Tanzhe Temple. In the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Qing Dynasty (1686), the Emperor came to the temple to pilgrimage Buddha for several days and lavishly granted funds. In the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Emperor granted 10,000 taels of silver to rebuild the Tanzhe Temple. In the 36th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Qing Dynasty, the Emperor made a trip to the Tanzhe Temple twice and gave it a namet, thus making it to be the biggest royal temple in Beijing. Later, several emperors paid a visit to the temple or granted funds to maintain it.
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*Asoka Temple at Yinzhou, Zhejiang, China*
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Tanzhe Temple, Beijing, China
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Tanzhe Temple is a witness for the cultural exchange between India and China. In Ming Dynasty, Diwadasi, an eminent monk from eastern India once practiced Buddhism in the temple and was buried there after he passed away.
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(*Xue Keqiao*)