The Stone Hall of Jijian Temple (Chinese: 寂鉴寺) is located on Tianchi Mountain in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It was classified by the Jiangsu Provincial-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1957[1] and placed in the sixth batch of Major Site Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level in 2006.[2]
Jijian Temple was built in the Zhizheng era, under the reign of Ukhaantu Khan, Emperor Huizong of Yuan in the Yuan Dynasty (1357) and converted to a temple after the Ming Dynasty. The existing stone palace[3] niche for Buddha and statues were all built in the Yuan Dynasty.
Facing south and with a width of 7.64 meters (面阔三间) and a depth of 5.52 meters (进深二间), the stone hall has a unique Chinese-style roof[4] and the back of the hall is next to a cliff. The east side and west side of the stone hall each have one stone chamber.
The two chambers are constructed next to the niche of Buddha.[5] titled "Doushai Palace" and "Jile Palace". They are both stone houses built with wood in Baosha-style, one room in width and half a step in depth. The west stone chamber has a double-eaved roof with Amitabha Buddha statues in it while the east one has a single eave roof with Maitreya Buddha statues in it.
References edit
- ^ "cultural relics protection units". www.cchmi.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ^ Compiled by State Administration of Cultural Heritage. fifth volume of the sixth batch of important national-level preservation units of cultural relics. Cultural Relics Publishing House. 2008. pp. 60. ISBN 978-7-5010-2446-9.
- ^ "寂鉴寺石屋及造象小考". 古建园林技术. 1988.
- ^ "中国传统建筑艺术之歇山顶的类别、等级及应运". China Science and Technology Review. 32. 2011.
- ^ "The Buddha Images and Conservation and Adherence to Cultural Values in Northeast". Journal of Social Sciences. 2011.