It is named after its primary function of enshrining the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha and sometimes doubles as the temple mausoleum.

[1] The Daśacakra Kṣitigarbha Sūtra (《地藏十輪經》) elaborates: Due to Shakyamuni Buddha's exhortations, Kṣitigarbha has to cultivate all the living creatures in adherence to the Dharma and eliminate all suffering in the period spanning from Shakyamuni's Parinirvana to Maitreya's final birth.

[2][3] In Chinese Buddhism, Kṣitigarbha's image is usually in the form of a Buddhist monk; complete with a robe, shaved head or in a vishnu lou cap.

[1] He sits in the lotus posture and wields a khakkhara in his left hand, symbolizing the unification of compassion for all living creations whilst holding strictly to the moral precepts.

[1] In some larger Buddhist temples, statues of the ten King Yamas flank images of Kṣitigarbha.