Longhua temple. Shanghai

For the fan of Steven Spielberg’s movies, it is definitely not hard to remember the pagoda scene shown in The empire of the sun. And to believe that i can visit the pagoda real and live is just an another feeling. I was very much staying nearby subway in Pudong street so travelling to any remote place was smooth and easy. Getting down at Longhua subway avoiding the stairways i reached my destination for the day, Longhua temple.

Where China is all about temples for commoners like us every structure looks same. Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and Confucian temples let me tell you every one has their own charm and history and are not created equal.

Talking about its history

During the three kingdoms period, in 242 AD Sun Quan, King of Kingdom of Wu

allegedly obtained Sharira relics (cremated remains of the Buddha) and ordered the construction of 13 pagodas across the region to house them. Legend has it that Longhua pagoda is one of the 13.

Its structure

Along the 194 meters long (637 feet) axis are the Maitreya Hall (Miledian), Devajara Hall (Tianwangdian), Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), Three Sages Hall (Sanshengdian), Abbot's Hall (Fangzhangshi) and the Sutras Keeping Hall (Cangjinglou) which keeps the three treasures of the temple including the Dazang sutras, the gold seals and the Buddhist statues. All the halls are dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha meaning a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future and will teach the pure dharma. Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha, Gautama Buddha.

Three golden Buddhas, Maitreya, Buddha of the Future, in the middle, Bodhisattva

Thousand hands Buddha statue

In Chinese Buddhism this buddha is called as Guan Yin which is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara( avalokita meaning seeing and evara meaning lord in sanskrit), the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love.

Guan Yin is neither woman nor man.
According to the Lotus Sutra,gender is no obstacle to Enlightenment and has the magical power to transform the body in any form required to relieve suffering.Usually wearing necklaces of Indian/Chinese royalty with sacred vase in her right hand is holy water and in the left, a willow branch to sprinkle the holy water of life upon the devotees.

The crown usually depicts the image of Amitabha Buddha.

Hall of four Heavenly Kings

The Four Heavenly Kings being the standard component of Chinese Buddhist temples are four Buddhist gods, each of whom watches over one direction of the world is the main hall housing statues of the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni) and two disciples.

Room of 500 Arhats
What attracted me next was the room filled with golden statues or Arhats. Just outside of the main entrance of the third hall called the Daxiong Baodian where there is a big golden sitting Buddha statue, there is a side hall where you can see 500 little gold statues arranged in rows. They shine and glitter in the light. From the austere courtyard with the smoke of fires and burning incense, the golden and bright statues are a striking contrast.

There is a Bell Tower arranged off the central axis housing a 3.3 ton bronze bell. The bell is used in the Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony conducted on New Year's Eve and is strucked 108 times for massive fortune. Reminds me of Vat Savitri Puja in India where women go around peepal tree 108 times.

Chinese prayer rituals

What i observed and learned is that a devotee with sincere heart can offer tributes such as cooked chicken, fruits (mainly apples, oranges, and bananas), pork, fish, rice cakes, and long thread moss algae in front of the gods.

People were performing praying rituals with incense, asking for good health and happiness as well as success in businesses and education. When lighting an incense for prayer, traditionally people would hold the incense with their left hand and not the right hands which are used to kill animals for meat or for bathroom purposes, and thus left hands are much cleaner and are seen as more respectful toward the gods.

Outside at one corner i found countless red ribbon tied up with messages. I was curious to know if this is some religious practice too? It is used in Buddhist temples to offer prayers to the Buddha, pass on your wishes to the Buddha, love to loved ones, deceased relatives and friends.

Very much like the Muslims who tie red threads for good wishes and Hindus tying red cotton thread around the wrist to ward off evil. We all are not very different indeed.

Longhua Temple, Longhua Pagoda

Address: No. 2853, Longhua Rd.,Xuhui District

By Metro : Line 11 and get off at Long Hua station.

Admission Fees : RMB10 *But somehow we enter for free*

Time : 7.00am-4.30pm