Huayan Monastery - Hall of the Great Hero

(Local Name: Daxiong Baodian) The Upper Monastery is structured around the Hall of the Great Hero (Daxiong Baodian), built in 1140 to replace a former 11th C building that burned down in 1122. It covers an area of 1560sq.m/16,785sq.ft, making it one of the largest Buddhist temples in China. The wood and clay statues are from the Ming period (1368-1644). There are five Buddha statues, representing the directions (the center three are made of wood, the others of clay). The heads and upper bodies of the 20 heavenly guardian statues are bent forward about 15 degrees. All the temple walls are painted with murals; these cover an area of 887sq.m/9540sq.ft and portray the life and works of Shakyamuni, painted by the Dong