Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t15: Jiming Temple
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t15
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Jiming Temple
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Jiming Temple (Jiming Vihar) is one of the oldest temples in Nanjing, located in Mount Jilong. It was originally built in the Datong first year of Southern Liang Dynasty (527 CE) and was named as Tongtai Temple. At that time, there was a seven-floor Buddha pavillion and a nine-floor pagoda in the temple, together with six large palaces and more than 10 small halls and Buddhist prayer rooms. Emperor Wu of Liang (502-548 CE) was a famous Buddhist in Chinese history who made great contribution to the development of Chinese Buddhism. According to historical records, he went to Tongtai Temple as a servant several times and then asked the imperial court to redeem him with a large sum of money. The fund so received would go directly and completely into Tongtai Temple. He did this successfully for three times and the temple therefore became extremely rich with luxurious buildings everywhere. However the fourth time, he encountered a rebellion and was besieged in the temple until death. Tongtai Temple was also destroyed in the rebellion. In later ages, the temple was rebuilt many times but became much smaller. It was renamed again and again as the Qianfo Yard, Jingju Temple, Yuanji Temple, Fabao Temple etc until the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Hongwu,
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*Jiming Temple, Nanjing, China*
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Ming Dynasty (1387), when it was restored and eventually renamed as the Jiming Temple. Later, it was once again rebuilt during the Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty (1862-1874) and was scaled down in size. In 1966, Jiming Temple was seriously damaged and the Nanjing government finally granted funds in 1982 to rebuild it. From then on, the temple became a famous scenic place for visitors and worshippers in Nanjing.
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(*Xue Keqiao*)