(1) What a pleasure it was to see this really good gate at the front of Lushan Temple, after toiling up the hill. I suspect those are the 16 arhats flanking the Buddha at the top.
I had expected to take a taxi right up to this temple; alas, no driver knew where it was! It turns out it's inside a park (behind Hunan University) and only shuttle buses can go there. I really wish I'd known about those shuttles before I took a Hunan U guard's advice and climbed the mountain!
Anyway, other than that front gate, this temple was spectacular in its unspectacularity--despite the fact that it's the "oldest" temple in Hunan. (That means the first founded; the buildings are all fairly new.) Also, Hunan Buddhist College is located on the temple grounds.
(2) Pro forma release ponds behind the gate
(3) The Heavenly Kings' Hall
(4) One mildly interesting thing: The Buddha Hall had "10,000 Buddhas" lining the walls, and therefore no space for arhats. So they placed plaques behind the hall, on the retaining wall for the upper terrace. These plaques, by the way, are based on images created by artist/monk Guan Xiu over 1100 years ago.
(5) The Guanyin Hall on the upper terrace is showing signs of wear--even though it dates only to the 1980s.
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Last Updated August 20, 2019
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