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South Putuo Temple is situated in the southern part of Xiamen in Fujian Province and next to Xiamen University. Built in Tang Dynasty, it is a large-scale Buddhist temple that covers an area of about 21270 kilometers. It was originally called Puzhao Temple and destroyed several times in warfare. During the period of 1662 and 1722, it was reconstructed by Qing Government and renamed as “South Putuo Temple”. Every year, a lot of Buddhists with different nationalities come here to pray. Besides those truly followers, South Putuo Temple is also favored by both domestic and foreign tourists. The temple usually bustles from morning to dawn especially on special days, such as the Spring Festival, the Mid-autumn Festival and some other important traditional holidays in China.
There are 4 main architectures in South Putuo Temple, including the hall of Heavenly Kings, the Great Buddha’s Hall, the hall of Great Mercy and a pavilion. Inside the temple, precious Buddhist scriptures, ivory sculptures and related paintings are stored and preserved well. While visiting the temple, you may see some monks wandering in it. Do not be surprise. South Putuo Temple is home to them and dormitories, libraries, dining rooms as well as study rooms are all available for them.
I guess you must have heard about the Laughing Buddha. Yep, he is worshiped in the hall of heavenly Kings with falling ears, bare chest and exposed paunch, presenting tourists a gracious smile. Then in the Great Buddha’s Hall, there stands three grand Buddha statues. The Sakyamuni is worshiped in the middle of the hall and he is known as the founder of Buddhism. While the Bhaishajyaguru and the Amitabha are in the east and west respectively. It is said that those three Buddha stand for the past, today and the future. After worshiping the Buddha, tourists can appreciate the magnificent murals on the wall, from which they can gain a deeper understanding of the stories and images of Buddhist. Finally we will pay a visit to the hall of Great Mercy, where thousands hands Guanyin Buddha is consecrated. Looking around, you can see Guanyin Buddhas with 48 hands are standing in the other sides of the hall. Taking a tour to those halls, you may feel the air is filled with thick religious atmosphere and mystery. Local saying said that your wishes can become reality if you pray piously in front of the Buddha. God, that might be the best explanation to it.
After worshiping, we strongly recommend you to try the South Putuo Vegetarian Menu which will never let you down. Besides tasty meal, the award-wining cottage pudding of South Putuo Temple is also a must-try. With delicate appearance, the pudding tastes sweet and crisp, which is widely regarded as the best local specialties for family and friends.
Praying, eating and sightseeing are the forever themes while travelling to South Putuo Temple.