Shanhua Temple

The temple was heavily repaired over the years, and today three original halls and two recently rebuilt pavilions survive.

Also historically significant are the Main Gate and Sansheng Hall, both dating from 12th century during the Jin dynasty.

[1] The temple was again heavily damaged when the Jin dynasty took over in 1120, and in 1128 repair work was started that took fifteen years to complete.

In the late 16th century, drum and bell towers were built on the same stone platform (yuetai, 月台) supporting the Mahavira Hall.

The hall is built on an elevated three meter high platform that was once the site of both a drum and bell tower that are no longer extant.

[9] The statues are similar, and represent the Buddha displaying different mudras (symbolic hand gestures).

[10] Above the Sakyamuni statue, is a caisson (Chinese: 藻井; pinyin: zǎojǐng), an octagonal wooden ceiling that is painted and decorated.

[14]The Puxian Pavilion (Chinese: 普贤阁; pinyin: Pǔxián Gé) was initially built during the Liao dynasty, and was examined by Liang Sicheng in the 1930s.

[16] This pavilion (Chinese: 文殊阁; pinyin: Wénshū Gé) was destroyed in the early 20th century after it caught fire after being converted into a tannery.

[17] The Main Gate (Chinese: 山门; pinyin: Shān Mén) is a large hall that was built during the Jin dynasty in the 12th century, and is the entrance building of the temple.

The central statue of Sakyamuni ( Gautama Buddha ) in the Mahavira Hall
Interior of the Sansheng Hall, enshrining statues of Vairocana , Manjusri and Samantabhadra
The Puxian Pavilion