LITMIR.BIZ

      The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is an ancient Buddhist temple built in Guangzhou in 537. It was originally called the Baozhuangyan Temple, but today it carries the name given by the great writer Su Dongpo in the Sung Dynasty (960–1279). It is said that he visited the temple while returning to the north. During his visit, he found six particularly striking banyan trees there. The temple burned down and was rebuilt in the Northern Sung Dynasty. Flower Pagoda, the main structure of the temple, was built in 1097 and named for its colorful exterior. It was rebuilt again 1373 A. D. after another fire and restored in 1900.

      A bronze temple stands on the southern slope of the hill of Wan Shou Shan, standing 7.55 meters tall and weighing more than 200,000 kilograms. Every adornement was executed with the lost wax method. Inside is a list of the craftsmen who took part in its construction. Every detail of the temple is executed in bronze, the pillars, beams, tiles, tracery of doors and windows, and all ornamental appendages having been previously moulded in metal. This is one of the few buildings which defied the fire in 1860. It stands on a marble foundation with carved railings and steps. The miniature stupa, or dagaba, which crowns the crest of the roof, is an attribute of a Buddhist building, and this one, in fact, is intended to be a shrine for the historical Buddha, as it contains a gilded image of Sakyamuni enthroned on a lotus calyx, with the usual set of utensils for burning incense.