I had the honor of visiting Lingyin Temple before. It is one of the earliest famous temples in Hangzhou and has a history of more than 1,700 years.
Lingyin Temple was built in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD) by Huili, a monk from Western India. The temple is located west of West Lake in Hangzhou, with its back against Beigaofeng and facing Feilaifeng. It has a beautiful environment and is surrounded by two peaks. It is lush with trees and surrounded by clouds and smoke. It is an ancient temple in the deep mountains.
There is also a building called "Lingyin Bronze Hall" in Lingyin Temple, which is recognized as the tallest bronze hall in the world, with a height of 12.62 meters. There were originally four Buddha statues in this bronze hall, but these Buddha statues were stolen during an exhibition in Japan in 2012. This incident attracted widespread attention and discussion at the time.
Lingyin Temple not only has rich Buddhist culture and cultural relics, but also various Buddha statues, Dharma instruments and sutras. For example, the pure bronze Buddha statues in the Five Hundred Arhats Hall. There are a total of 500 bronze statues of Arhats in the Arhat Hall, each of which has its unique meaning and story.