The Chinese Monastery is about a hundred meters northwest of the Mahabodhi
Temple. The Temple was one of the oldest and had decorated wood, but due to
decay it was rebuilt in 1997.
The Chinese Temple of Bodh Gaya was built in 1945 by Sitingchen, a Chinese
monk. The temple then enshrined a black stone image of Mukutdhari Buddha with
gold polish.
Currently, the Temple houses three Buddha statues beautifully carved in three
different shapes in golden color.
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Entering the temple gate.
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Chinese guardian lions.
Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional
Chinese architectural ornament, but the origins lie deep in much older
Indian Buddhist traditions. Typically made of stone, they are also known
as stone lions or shishi. They are known in colloquial English as
lion dogs or foo dogs / fu dogs.
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The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism,
features a pair of highly stylized lions — often one male with a ball
which represents the material elements and one female with a cub which
represents the element of spirit — that were thought to protect the
building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that
might be a threat.
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See more at
Chinese guardian lions - Wikipedia.
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Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Di Zang Wang Pu Sa)
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism
and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as
"Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb".
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Ksitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the
instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of
Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to
achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied.
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He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as
well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children
and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
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Usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, he
carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling
jewel to light up the darkness.
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See more at
Kṣitigarbha - Wikipedia.
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The Three Buddhas.
The three Buddhas depicted in traditional Chinese temple halls: Gautama
Buddha (Shakyamuni), Bhaisajyaguru Buddha and Amitabha Buddha.
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On the golden shrine, the three Buddhas are Buddha Shakyamuni
(center), Buddha Amitabha (right) and the Medicine Buddha (left).
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See more at
Bhaisajyaguru, China - Wikipedia.
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See also
Source
Location
Mahabodhi Temple by Night
Tara Temple Inauguration
Mahabodhi Temple
Wat Thai Temple
Karma Temple
Great Buddha
Tara Temple 3D Mandalas
Tara Temple Morning Prayer