China's First Ancient Temple, Named After the White Horse That Carried Scriptures

The White Horse Temple is the first government-built Buddhist temple after Buddhism was introduced to China, and the earliest Buddhist temple built in China. With a history of over 1,900 years, it is considered the "ancestral court of Buddhism" in China. The first eminent Indian monks to come to China resided in the White Horse Temple; the earliest Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures, the "Baye Sutra," are housed here; the first translation center was located at the temple's Qingliang Terrace; the first Chinese Buddhist scripture, the "Sutra of Forty-two Chapters," was translated here; and the first Chinese Buddhist monastic code, the "Sengzhijiexin," was first translated at the White Horse Temple. After Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty dreamed of a golden figure, he dispatched envoys westward to seek Buddhist teachings. Soon after Buddhism arrived in China, the eminent monks Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna came to Luoyang at the emperor's invitation. A site was chosen for them three li outside the Yong Gate, north of the imperial road, to establish a place for monastic practice and to house Buddhist scriptures and classics. The new temple was named "White Horse Temple" after the white horses that carried the monks' scriptures. With changes in dynasties and the turmoil of war, the White Horse Temple was destroyed and abandoned several times. Despite repeated destruction and reconstruction throughout its history, it has persevered through hardship and change for two millennia. Its current layout is largely based on renovations carried out during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The White Horse Temple covers an area of approximately 200 mu, facing south with a symmetrical layout along a central axis. The main buildings, including the Shanmen (Mountain Gate), Hall of Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Great Buddha, Mahavira Hall, Hall of the Guides to the Pure Land, Qingliang Terrace, and Vairocana Pavilion, are arranged sequentially from front to back. The Hall of Heavenly Kings, a high-platform hip-and-gable style building, was initially built in the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. It has five bays wide (east-west) and three bays deep (north-south). In the center of the hall is a gilded shrine with carved dragons, brought from the Forbidden City, which houses a Yuan Dynasty "jiazhan" (lacquer and hemp) statue of Maitreya with a large belly, statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, and a statue of Skanda, all unique examples of the "jiazhan" technique. The Hall of the Great Buddha enshrines statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, Kasyapa and Ananda (Buddha's disciples), and Guanyin, all with solemn expressions. The Mahavira Hall houses numerous Buddha statues, including the "Three Buddhas of the Three Times" (Sakyamuni, Amitabha, and Bhaisajyaguru), as well as the two heavenly generals, Weituo and Weili. The Hall of the Guides to the Pure Land enshrines Amitabha Buddha, flanked by Guanyin Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. The Qingliang Terrace, located at the rear of the White Horse Temple, is made of blue bricks and forms a high platform. The Vairocana Pavilion, situated on the Qingliang Terrace, houses statues of Vairocana Buddha, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. In 1973, Prince Sihanouk expressed his wish to visit the White Horse Temple. However, at that time, the temple was in ruins after the Cultural Revolution. The central government decided to transfer cultural relics from the Great Buddha Hall of the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City to the White Horse Temple, a process that took three months. The 23 Yuan Dynasty "jiazhan" statues currently enshrined in the main hall, including Sakyamuni, Amitabha, and Bhaisajyaguru (the Three Buddhas of the Three Times), Weituo and Weili (the two heavenly generals), and the Eighteen Arhats, are all exquisite pieces transferred from Beijing. Although Prince Sihanouk did not visit in the end, the relics remained in Luoyang, allowing us to admire the exquisite artifacts from the imperial family temple. The most famous area of the White Horse Temple is the International Buddhist Temple Zone. On the west side of the temple, Buddhist buildings from Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, and Sri Lanka have been constructed, making the White Horse Temple the only international temple in the world with Buddhist halls in Chinese, Indian, Burmese, Thai, and Vietnamese styles. A relic of Sakyamuni Buddha, donated by the Golden Mountain Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, is enshrined in the stupa of the Thai-style Buddhist Temple Zone. During the Peony Culture Festival, due to the large number of visitors, the White Horse Temple continues to implement a "online reservation, staggered entry, and limited capacity" visitation policy. Please book tickets online with real-name registration three days in advance through the official WeChat public account, the only official ticketing channel.