Daxingshan Temple

Daxingshan is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in Xi'an, founded as far back as the Western Jin dynasty in the third century. Under the Tang it became the chief centre of tantric Buddhism in China: the Indian masters Subhakarasimha and Amoghavajra worked here, and from here the teaching reached Japan. The monastery burned and was rebuilt several times, and the present halls were raised in the twentieth century on the old axial plan. Beyond the gate come in turn the bell and drum towers, the hall of the Heavenly Kings and the main hall with its bronze censers. The house is a working one, a city park is laid out around it, and beyond the fence stand the blocks of modern Xi'an.

On the map