Wuyou Temple 乌尤寺

About Wuyou Temple

Its halls contain distinct groups of Buddhist figures, from Maitreya images to the large gathering of arhats in the Arhat Hall. The Mahavira Hall adds carved images of Shakyamuni, Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Following these halls in sequence makes the temple’s iconography more legible than treating the whole complex as one undifferentiated shrine.

Wuyou Temple, on the summit of Mount Wuyou (乌尤山) south of the city, was founded in the Tang dynasty by the monk Huijing (惠净法师) under the name Zhengjue Temple (正觉寺). In the Northern Song dynasty it was renamed Wuyou Temple after the mountain on which it stands. Most of its present buildings date from the late Qing dynasty and the modern era; the Mahavira Hall was rebuilt in 1913 and the Hall of Maitreya was built in 1920.

With government and public support, the monk Bianneng (遍能法师) raised funds to restore the main halls, and other buildings were gradually rebuilt. Behind the Mahavira Hall, the Hall of Sakyamuni enshrines statues of the Five Tathagatas, with figures of the Twenty-four Heavenlies and the Eighteen Arhats on either side.

The Arhat Hall was enlarged in 1909 and reconstructed between 1986 and 1989. In 1983, the State Council (国务院) designated Wuyou Temple a National Key Buddhist Temple in Han Chinese Area (汉族地区佛教全国重点寺院). On July 7, 1980, it was included as part of the Lidui (离堆) listing in Sichuan's first batch of re-confirmed provincial-level protected cultural sites.

What to look for

• The Maitreya Hall contains a central image and further Maitreya figures behind it.
• The Arhat Hall presents a varied group of arhat images.

Location & getting there

Getting to Wuyou Temple

Use the Wuyou Temple approach south-west of the Leshan Giant Buddha area. A pedestrian bridge connects the hill setting with the neighbouring visitor area; follow the signed temple route after crossing.