Buddhism is one of the world religions that are widespread in Asia. At the state level, Buddhism is accepted in China, Thailand, Tibet, India, Cambodia, Nepal and other countries. In the Russian Federation, Buddhism is practiced by Kalmyks, Buryats and Tuvans.
Followers of Buddhism revere Sidhartha Gautama, or Buddha - God, who was a man, but was able to achieve enlightenment as a result of travel, self-restraint and conversations with sages about the meaning of life. The image of the Buddha is immortalized in sculpture. There are many statues of Gautama in the East. One of them is located on the territory of the temple, which is called the Temple of the Spring Buddha.
Why Spring Buddha?
The name of the temple was due to the fact that it contains a hot spring with healing powers. The name of the geyser is translated into Russian as "hot spring". The water temperature in Tianrui hot spring reaches sixty degrees Celsius.
The Foshan temple complex, built during the Tang Dynasty, is also famous for the fact that a huge bell is located on the belfry, the weight of whichis more than a hundred tons, and the diameter exceeds five meters. This bell is inferior in size to the Tsar Bell of the Kremlin. However, the Kremlin giant is just an attraction (certainly worthy of attention), and the bell of the Spring Temple (in other words, the Bell of Good Luck) is operational.
According to ancient traditions, the territory of the temple is guarded from evil forces by marble deities and demons located at the entrance to the shrine. Prayers and services are held in the temple. The Temple of the Spring Buddha is a haven for Buddhist monks. Laity also come here to pray, to get away from daily worries, to be alone with their thoughts and feelings.
Temple location
The abode is located in a desert area on the outskirts of Henan Island. Since the monks prefer privacy, there is nothing around the temple except for the ticket office and one parking space.
The Temple of the Spring Buddha attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over the world, but in addition to the hot spring, a huge bell and marble sculptures at the entrance, travelers are eager to see the tallest Buddha statue in the world.
Description of the statue
Vairochan Buddha, symbolizing wisdom, is immortalized in the image of the Spring Buddha. The Buddha statue of the Spring Temple is the tallest in the world. Its height, together with the hill on which the Buddha stands, is two hundred and eight meters. For comparison: the famous Statue of Liberty barely reaches the knee of the Buddha. Much lower is the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the sculptural composition "The Motherland Calls!" in Volgograd and other monuments. The statue of the Spring Buddha is listed in the Book of RecordsGuinness.
The sculpture of the Buddha of the Spring Temple seems incredible also because the Buddha stands on a giant pedestal, which is a lotus flower.
To get to the statue, you need to overcome 365 steps, divided into 12 flights. It is easy to guess that such a division denotes the number of months and days in a year.
Buddha is made of gold, copper and special steel. First, parts of the statue were sculpted, then they merged together. A total of one thousand one hundred parts were made. After their connection, the weight of the Buddha was one thousand tons.
History of the erection of the statue
Spring Temple Buddha statue, whose height is amazing, was erected in 2010. The decision to build the world's tallest statue came after the Taliban blew up ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan. The destroyed sculptures were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Chinese government expressed dissatisfaction with what happened and determined the place of creation of the sculpture - the village of Zhaotsun in Henan province.
Construction began in 2001. The work was very intensive, and a year later, residents and guests of China had the opportunity to see a giant statue. True, then the height of the Buddha of the Spring Temple was 153 meters. The record size of the Buddha was achieved by converting the hill on which Vairochan stands into stone steps.
Spring Temple Buddha symbolizes Chinese people's respect for Buddhism.
How to behave on the territorytemple?
Temple of the Spring Buddha is a holy place. Therefore, behavior should be such as not to violate religious traditions (even if the visitor professes a different religion), not to offend monks and parishioners.
Tourists keep the image of the highest Buddha in their memory, as photo and video shooting is prohibited in the temple. Moreover, photographing makes the inhabitants of the monastery worried, and this is not surprising. You can't take pictures of people without their consent.
Before entering the temple, you must remove your hat and shoes. Clothing should cover the arms to the forearm and legs to the ankle. It is forbidden to talk on the phone and talk to each other.
Buddhist monks are not allowed to communicate with women, and some clergy - with men. Therefore, it is better not to try to strike up a conversation with the clergy. If you wish, you can order a prayer service and make offerings in the temple.
