Three Great Temples

Fayu Temple

One of the Three Great Temples on Mount Putuo, Fayu Temple was originally built in the eighth year of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1580). In the thirty-eighth year of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1699) the imperial court funded repairs to the temple’s main shrine hall, and the Emperor Kangxi bestowed a tablet inscribed with ‘Tian Hua Fa Yu’（天华法雨）on the temple. Since then, the name of Fayu Temple started to be used and the temple became better known in the Southern Yangtze River area of China.

There are now 294 rooms and halls in the temple, covering about 8,800 square meters. Some important halls include the Four Deva-kings Hall, Jade Buddha Hall, Main Shrine Hall, Buddhist Scriptures Pavilion and Abbot Hall. 

The temple’s Guanyin Hall is also called Nine Dragon Hall, as it has a nine-dragon caisson on its ceiling which was removed from the Nanjing Imperial Palace of the Ming Dynasty, making the hall one of the Three Great Treasures on Mount Putuo. 

Huiji Temple

Huiji Temple, one of the three largest on Mount Putuo, stands on the peak of Foding Hill. The temple is also known as the Foding Peak Temple. It was built by the monk Yuanhui in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1574) and extended in 1793. Surrounded by woods, the whole temple features spacious, magnificent and unique architecture. 

There are many stone inscriptions on the way towards the temple. Among them, the one inscribed with “Hai Tian Fo Guo” (Buddist World amidst Sea and Sky) is the most famous. It is said that it was written by Hou Jigao, a general who fought against Japanese pirates in the Ming Dynasty.

In 1930, a famous botanist, Zhong Guanguang, discovered a tree species rare throughout the world and recorded its name as Carpinus turczaninowii on the temple’s back door; it was later renamed “Carpinus putoensis Cheng”. 

Puji Temple

As a typical Chinese temple architecture model and an important legacy of official buildings in Zhejiang province, Puji Temple has great value in history, culture and art. It was built in the second year of Emperor Zhenming in the Later Liang Dynasty (AD 916). In the 28th year of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1689), the Emperor Kangxi decided to rebuild the temple and bestowed a tablet on it inscribed “Pu Ji Qun Ling”. 

Puji Temple is a famous shrine of Avalokitesvara, who was known for Buddhist activities on Mount Putuo. In front of the temple are scenic spots such as a stone memorial archway, a Pavilion of the Imperial Stele and Haiyin pond. Haiyin pond, also known as the Free Life Pond, is a 15- acre lotus pond. It was built in the Ming Dynasty.

Unwilling–to-Leave Temple

According to the records of Mount Putuo’s history, a Japanese monk named Hui’e took a Guanyin Bodhisattva statue from Mountain Wutai to his country in the second year of Emperor Zhenming in the Late Liang Dynasty (AD 916). However, he stopped near the Lotus Sea of Mount Putuo on his way back to Japan because of a heavy storm. Hui’e thought that the Guanyin Bodhisattva may not be willing to leave Mount Putuo, so he stayed at Mount Putuo and left the statue. The statue was worshiped by a villager named Zhang, who donated his house as a shrine for the statue; thus originated the Unwilling–to-Leave Temple.

Chaoyin Cave

Situated at the foot of Longwan hill and close to the Purple Bamboo Temple, Chaoyin Cave is about 30 meters deep and 10 meters high. It is half-immerged and encloses an odd assortment of rocks.

Purple Bamboo Grove

Purple Bamboo Grove is located at the foot of Meitan Ridge in the southeast area of Mount Putuo. The name comes from the purple rocks on the hills that gain their appearance from Chinese weeping cypress leaves and bamboo leaves. The purple bamboos were planted by ancestors many years ago. 

Fanyin Cave

The Fanyin Cave (Cave of Buddhist Sound) is between two 100- meter-high steep cliffs. The cave winds its way towards the sea. When the sea swells, the waters roar into the cave. 

There are also many oddly-shaped stones, including the Pantuo Stone, the stone of Two Tortoises listening to preaching, and the stone of A Buddhist World amidst Sea and Sky.