Brief introduction of Brahma Temple

Tongan Brahma Temple is located at the southern foot of Dalun Mountain in Tongan District, Xiamen. It was founded in the first year of Emperor Kai of Sui Dynasty (58 1), and was originally named Xingjiao Temple. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples in Fujian. During the reign of Emperor Xianheng of the Tang Dynasty, there were seventy-two Tang Dynasties in AOA. In the second year of Song Xining (A.D. 1069), it was merged into one place and renamed "Brahma Temple". In the 14th year of Yuan Dynasty (AD 1354), it was destroyed by fire. In the 13th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1380), a complete Buddhist temple was rebuilt by monks living in the mountains, including the main buildings such as the Mountain Gate, the King Kong Hall, the Tianwang Hall and the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion, which were concentrated on a central axis from bottom to top, with a large scale. Shi Miao Temple in Xiamen and Sunlight Temple in Gulangyu Island are its sub-Zen. Behind the temple, there are Ming Dynasty buildings commemorating Zhu, such as Wengongtang, Pavilion, Shizhan Pavilion, Thousand Buddha Pavilion and Kuixing Pavilion. The Maolin here grows bamboo and has an elegant environment.

The overall building of Tongan Brahma Temple is solemn and magnificent. Among them, King Kong Hall, Daxiong Hall and Fatang were set on fire by Beiyang warlord Zhang Shucheng in the seventh year of the Republic of China (19 18), leaving only the mountain gate, bell tower and some inscriptions. During the Cultural Revolution, Tongan County Detention Center was built on the original site. With the economic reform and opening up, as well as the implementation of religious policies, the Xiamen Municipal Government decided to rebuild Brahma Temple. With the concern and support of the people and overseas Chinese, the detention center finally moved at the end of 1993 1 1, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the restoration of Brahma Temple was held in 1 month the following year. At the end of the same year, the King Kong Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Ursa Major Hall and the Sutra Pavilion were rebuilt one after another. 1997 was completed in September, and Brahma Square and parking lot in front of the temple were opened. When Song Zhuxi was the master book of Tongan, he often visited Brahma Temple, leaving many cliff stone carvings. Yang Zhiting of Wang Jing in Ming Dynasty, Shi Zhanting of Shang Liu, Ziyang Academy advocated by Lin Xiyuan, etc. They are all important historical buildings in memory of the famous Confucian Zhu. Dalun Mountain is famous for its "peaks leaping from the north like wheels". Fiona Fang is about one square kilometer, with an altitude of108m. It has been a scenic spot in Tongan since ancient times. Since the reign of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty, there have been "eight scenic spots on the wheel", namely, the peaks and peaks on the wheel, the Hai Fan in Xunshang, the shadow of the East Creek Tower, the fragrance of the green marsh, the moonlight on the secluded rock, the bells of the Vatican Hall, the falling pavilion stone and the clear holy light.

At present, the Shanmen, Gongde Hall, Buddha Hall, Bell Tower and Thousand Buddha Pavilion have been restored. The gate was rebuilt in 198 1 year due to decay; There are two "stone generals" and two stone classics in front of the door. The original painted wooden plaque of Dalun Mountain inscribed by Zhu on the lintel was 2 feet 1 inch square, vigorous and powerful, and it was destroyed in one fell swoop. The bell tower is located on the east side of the original temple. It is a two-story brick-wood building with a courtyard pavilion. Its shape is simple and generous. The original bronze bell weighing more than 650 kilograms was engraved with the words "made in the second year of Ming Hongwu", and now it has disappeared. In the small garden of Fatang, there are well-preserved stone carvings of the Tang Dynasty, including three reliefs. The characters are all dressed in short-sleeved shirts and long skirts, dressed as flute players, clapping their hands and holding lotus buds respectively. The image of floating clouds in relief at the two corners below sets off the lightness and femininity of the fairy falling from the sky. The figures are all like flying murals in Dunhuang. There is also a Brahman stupa next to the bell tower, which was originally the Qiao Zhen Stone Pagoda at the bridge head of Xi 'an in Tongan City. It was built in the Song and Yuan Dynasties (1086 ~ 1094) and moved to this site in 1957, so it is also called Xi 'an Bridge Tower. The tower is a three-story square, solid stone structure and 4.68 meters high. Among them, the base of Mount Sumi is1.78m high, with four embossed animal heads and four embossed dwarfs. On the second floor, each side is embossed with lotus Buddha statues; Three layers and four sides embossed Buddhist story images, and four winged beasts embossed on the upper corner. The tower is a precious material for studying ancient religions and stone carving art, and was listed as the first batch of provincial cultural relics protection units in 196 1. After the death of Master Hou Xue, his pagoda garden covers an area of 65,438 0.20 square meters, which is the most spectacular monk cemetery in Xiamen. Brahma is listed as one of the "Twenty Scenes of Xiamen" because of its rich natural and human landscapes.