Shuanglin Temple
Located outside of Pingyao, the Shuanglin Temple is full of surprises. The temple is home to more than 2,000 sculptures carved during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The name ‘Shuanglin’ means ‘Double Forest’. According to legend, The Buddha entered nirvana under two trees and the temple’s name reflects this.
The temple is home to ten large and small halls, a sutra chanting hall and monks’ rooms. The Hall of Heavenly Kings is built around sculptures of the four Heavenly Kings, each one holding its own weapon. There are also 8 Bodhisattvas and a statue of Maitreya in the hall. In the Arhats’ Hall, a statue of Guanyin, with 18 arhats is centered in the room. Each statue is a work of art and totally unique. The 1,000 Buddha Hall has a statue of Guanyin in the center with 500 sculptures of Bodhisattva around the room. The Sakyamuni Hall is home to a sculpture of Sakyamuni, The Buddha, attended by Manjusri, and Samantabhadra. The sculptures on the walls depict legends of Sakyamuni’s life. In the Bodhisattva Hall is a sculpture of the 1,000 hand Guanyin. It is quite famous and over 480 sculptures of Bodhisattvas can be found on the walls of the hall.
