Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai – Spirituality Weds Simplicity

Out of every tourist attraction in Shanghai the Jade Buddha Temple is elusive in its own way. If you are interested in Buddhist tourism in Shanghai this is a great place to begin your quest.

Don’t consider your Shanghai tour complete, until you’ve made it to the Jade Buddha Temple, a core seat of Buddhism in the city. With two artistic Buddha figurines sculpted in white jade – one 1.95 meters high, weighing 3 tons in a sitting posture and the other one in a reclining posture being 96 centimeter in length. So when you are booking your cheap tickets to Shanghai make sure to add this exquisite temple in your Shanghai sightseeing bucket list. The temple also has a story behind it that adds to its grandeur and prominence.

 

The History

An abbot named Hui Gen from Mount Putuo, located on an island of Zhoushan Island group arrived at a decision to establish a pilgrimage, to what is known as Myanmar in this new age, through a route that is going to take the abbot past another two of four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism. As he arrived at Myanmar, AbboT Hui Gen came across a rich Buddhist and Chinaman named Chen Jun-Pu who lived here and also contributed 5 Jade Buddha statues to the abbot. It was for some reasons that are still not revealed that Hui Gen decided to make 2 statues out of the 5 to be showcased in what is known today as the Jade Buddha Temple.

 

Highlights of the Temple

 

Layout – The design and architecture of the temple is in the archaic Song Dynasty pattern. It comprises of multiple halls that includes the Reclining Buddha Hall, Grand Hall, Jade Buddha Hall and the Heavenly King Hall. This temple today functions as a monastery, graced by monks who stay, study, meditate, pray and conduct spiritual ceremonies here.

 

Decoration- This temple is also the hub of Shanghai Buddhism Institute and has a serene ambience with the fragrance of mild incense that is forever burning. The interior is embellished by paintings, statutes and a unique set of Buddhist scriptures. There is Dazangjing that has been printed during the Quing Dynasty. That aside, there are remaining 7000 Buddhist scriptures also grace the monastery.

 

Souvenir – Owing to the fact that this monastery is tourist friendly, you’ll find a shop for souvenir shop along with a vegan eatery that serves scrumptious and reasonably priced meals that is prepared by the monks. In addition to that, you’ll also find handicrafts here that the Buddhist monks have been making from the time of the great Cultural Revolution. These handicrafts are artistic and get sold to the locals as well as the visitors which allow the monastery gather money for its daily operation and maintenance.

 

Immersed in an ambience of creativity, serenity and rich history the Jade Buddha Temple fills you with a sense of calm and happiness and is a must visit.

Visiting the Jade Buddha Temple and exploring other tourist spots in Shanghai becomes easy when you opt in for discounted British airways flights from airfarenetwork.com and get the best airfare rates possible.