Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t20: Kaiyuan Temple
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t20
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Kaiyuan Temple
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Kaiyuan Temple (Kaiyuan Vihar), Buddhism temple in Quanzhou, Fujian Province is located on the West Street of Quanzhou city. Kaiyuan Temple was first established in Chuigong second year of Tang (686 CE). It was originally named Lotus Temple but later renamed Xingjiao Temple and Longxing Temple. In the 26th year of Tang (738 CE), the emperor send out an imperial decree to establish a temple in each region he reigned and named it as his reign title. Therefore, there are many other temples named as Kaiyuan in China as of now and Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple is just one of them. However, the Quanzhou temple plays a special role in the history of cultural exchange between India and China. First, there is another legend about the establishment of Kaiyuan Temple. When Empress Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty (684-704 CE) first took the office, a monk named Kuanghu asked Huang Shougong, a local rich man, to give him a small piece of land which just could be covered by a cassock so that he could build a temple on it. Huang agreed. Monk Kuanghu then threw his cassock into the sky and the cassock suddenly changed into a mass of purple cloud covering the entire mulberry field of Huang. Later, Kaiyuan Temple stood up in this vast piece of land. Similar legends can also be found on the origin of
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Pagodas at the Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou, Fujian, China
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Relief of a Hindu deity on the corridor pillar of the Kaiyuan Temple, Quanzhou
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other temples in China such as in Yunnan province, and the source of such a story can be traced back to a legend about Lord Vishnu, a major Hindu god, changing into a dwarf. Second, Quanzhou was a very important port which played an essential role in the connection of India and China by sea in the history. During the Tang and Song Dynasty, a large number of Indian businessmen were living and doing business here and several Hindu temples were established at that time. Mahavira Hall (Great Buddha's Hall) in Kaiyuan Temple was also referred 'Baizhu Hall' (100 Pillars Hall in Chinese) and as time rolled by into the end of Ming Dynasty, the pillars in the Mahavira Hall were all changed into stone pillars with a variety of incised patterns including 24 pieces of carved stones telling the story of Lord Vishnu changing into dark sky and lion-man. According to textual researches, these are all the relics of Hindu temples of Tang and Song Dynasty. Third is Buddhist Tantrism. Since its development in India, it was rapidly introduced into China. Since Tang and Song Dynasty, Chinese Buddhism was greatly influenced by it and in Song Dynasty there were so many Esoteric Buddhism monks who once arrived at Quanzhou or lived here doing missionary work. This is why lots of elements of Esoteric Buddhism can be found in Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple such as Five Dhyani Buddhas.
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(*Xue Keqiao*)