Leiyin Temple 雷音寺

About Leiyin Temple

Its alternative name, Jietuo Hermitage, connects the place with the idea of release from worldly troubles. The modest hillside temple gives this part of the climb a different scale from the larger Baoguo and Fuhu complexes. It works best as a focused stop between those foothill sites and Chunyang Hall, with the surrounding wooded steps forming part of the experience.

During the Jiajing era of the Ming dynasty, the monk Wuxia (无瑕) resided at the site and renamed it Leiyin Temple. It was briefly renamed Jietuo'an (解脱庵) early in the Qing dynasty before reverting to Leiyin Temple, was rebuilt in the third year of the Guangxu era (1877), renovated again in 1953, and gained a new Guanyin Hall in 1990.

The temple sits on Jietuo Slope (解脱坡) below Yunü Peak (玉女峰) in Huangwan Township (黄湾乡), facing from southwest to northeast. It covers 1,800 square meters, with 1,300 square meters of building area, in a timber-framed complex of stacked courtyards that rises with the terrain along a symmetrical central axis. The axis carries the Maitreya Hall, Mahavira Hall and Guanyin Hall, flanked by wing rooms and the Five Contemplation Hall (五观堂).

Leiyin Temple was designated a municipal-level protected cultural relic by the Leshan city government in 1986, and it was listed in the eighth batch of Sichuan provincial-level protected cultural relics on 16 July 2012, with the site itself dated to the Qing dynasty.

What to look for

• The hillside temple on Jietuo Slope beneath Yunu Peak.
• The smaller monastic scale and setting along the lower forest walking route.

Location & getting there

Getting to Leiyin Temple

Follow the signed ascent from Fuhu Temple towards Leiyin Temple and Chunyang Hall. This is a walking approach with stairs; a map pin does not imply vehicle access to the temple.