Zhengding Kaiyuan Monastery  正定開元寺

Site Information

Kaiyuan Monastery was originally built in the second year of the Eastern Wei dynasty (535) as Jingguan Monastery, underwent two renamings: first to Jiehui Monastery during the Sui dynasty (591), and later to Kaiyuan Monastery by imperial decree in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty (738).3

According to the "Record of the Reconstruction of Kaiyuan Monastery in Zhengding"(重修正定开元寺记) from the 28th year of the Ming dynasty, the original sites had a front gateway, Pilu (Vairocana) Pavilion（Piluge 毘盧閣）at the back, with Jialan Hall（Jialandian 伽蘭殿） to the left and Geigu Hall（Geigutang 給孤堂）to the right, followed by the bell tower（zhonglou 鐘樓) on the left, Brick pagoda（Zhuanta 磚塔）on the right, and finally the Fachuan (Dharma Boat) Main Hall（Fachuanzhengdian 法船正殿）at the very end. In addition to these, there were also Tianwang Hall（Tianwangdian 天王殿）and Weituo Hall（Weituodian 韋陀殿), covering a total area of approximately 9,000 square meters.2

Since the late Qing dynasty, the monastery has gradually fallen into disrepair. Currently, only the bell tower and the Sumeru Pagoda(Xumita 須彌塔), as well as stone pillars from the Three-Gate Tower(sanmenlou 三門樓) of the Tang dynasty, unearthed in recent years, remain. The layout of the pagoda and tower facing each other in the center of the temple reflects the characteristics of early monastery architecture.3

External Links

Wikipedia (in Chinese)

百度百科