Daci Temple in Chengdu

Daci Temple, also known as the ancient Daci Temple, is located in the Dongfeng Road section of Jinjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. It was built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Wei and Jin Dynasties and is known as the 'Foremost Monastery in the Land of Shenzhou'. Daci Temple was most prosperous during the Tang and Song Dynasties, with a long history, profound culture, grand scale, and many eminent monks, hence it has been passed down as the 'Foremost Monastery in the Land of Shenzhou'. The founding date of the temple, according to the Song Dynasty's Puji's 'Wudeng Huiyuan', can be deduced from the Indian monk Baozhang's journey to the east during the Wei and Jin Dynasties to worship Samantabhadra in Shu, leaving behind Daci, which would be between the 3rd and 4th centuries, making it over 1600 years old. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once granted the name 'Imperially Established Daci Temple'. Despite being destroyed and rebuilt many times due to wars, the existing halls were successively rebuilt from the Shunzhi to Tongzhi years of the Qing Dynasty. The temple complex includes the Hall of Heavenly Kings, Guanyin Hall, Mahavira Hall, Dharma Hall, and Sutra Tower, among others. The Mahavira Hall and Sutra Tower use gorge stones as pillars, which are majestic and spectacular. The temple's halls are magnificent, the courtyards are serene, and ancient trees reach for the skies. Now, there are tea gardens, chess gardens, and famous snack shops within the temple. The inscription 'Ancient Daci Temple' above the mountain gate dates back to the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), which is more than 120 years ago, indicating that the plaque is not the imperial plaque rumored to have been written by Emperor Xuanzong or Emperor Xizong of Tang. The ancient plaque is about 70 centimeters high and 3 meters long, carved out of red stone. The year is marked as 'the day of Buddha's enlightenment in the sixth year of Guangxu' (i.e., the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month), and the signature reads 'written by Huang Yunhu of Chuqi'. On each side of it, there is a small stone plaque, inscribed with the words 'True Liberation Gate' and 'Great Bright Path' respectively. Historically, the most characteristic and influential cultural relics of 'Daci Temple' were famous paintings and bronze Buddhas. According to 'Daci Temple Records', 'When it comes to Tang Dynasty paintings, none are more numerous than those in Chengdu; and among those in Chengdu, none are more abundant than those in Daci Temple.' Books like Fan Chengda's 'Notes on Ancient Temples in Chengdu' and Huang Xiufu's 'Record of Famous Paintings in Yizhou' also contain many records about the mural artists and content of Daci Temple. In the first year of Jiayou of the Song Dynasty (1056), Su Shi and his brother Su Zhe visited Daci Temple and greatly admired the works of Tang Dynasty Buddhist painting master Lu Lengjia, praising the Daci Temple murals as 'exquisitely unparalleled in the world', making it an extremely precious and rare art treasury.