Tongnan Great Buddha Temple 潼南大佛寺

About Tongnan Great Buddha Temple

Tongnan Great Buddha Temple (潼南大佛寺) is a Buddhist temple and cliff-carving site at the foot of Dingming Mountain (定明山) in Tongnan District, Chongqing, about 1.5 km northwest of the old county town.

The temple is also known as Nanchan Temple (南禅寺) and Dingming Yuan (定明院). It stands in Shinian Village (石碾村) of Zitong Subdistrict (梓潼街道). Four timber-framed buildings survive: the Great Buddha Pavilion (大佛阁), the Guanyin Hall (观音殿), the Jade Emperor Hall (玉皇殿) and the Jian Pavilion (鉴亭). The complex also holds Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian statues.

The temple houses a golden Buddha statue 18.43 m tall. The State Council's heritage list records the Tongnan Great Buddha Temple cliff carvings (潼南大佛寺摩崖造像) and dates them from the Sui to the Qing dynasty.

In 1956 Sichuan put the carvings on its first provincial list of protected historical and revolutionary relics, and re-announced them on its first provincial list in 1980. Chongqing included them in its first municipal batch on 7 September 2000, and in 2006 the State Council named them a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, in the sixth batch, under grottoes and stone carvings.

What to look for

• The golden Buddha statue inside the temple, 18.43 m tall
• Great Buddha Pavilion (大佛阁), one of the four surviving timber buildings
• Guanyin Hall (观音殿) and Jade Emperor Hall (玉皇殿)
• Jian Pavilion (鉴亭), another of the surviving timber buildings
• Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian statues within the temple complex

Location & getting there

Getting to Tongnan Great Buddha Temple

• Search for 潼南大佛寺 with 重庆市 and 潼南区.