Xiangji Temple, Buddhist temple in Gongshu District, China
Xiangji Temple is a Buddhist temple at No. 1 Xiangji Temple, Dadou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou. Its central axis runs from a paifang gate through a life-release pond, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of the Great Sage Kimnara, the Mahavira Hall and a scripture library. Apart from the Qing-era West Pagoda, the buildings were rebuilt from 2009 and opened in February 2010, covering 16,855 square metres.
Founded in 978 as Xingfu Temple, when the Ke family gave their residence for the purpose, it was renamed Xiangji Temple during the Dazhong Xiangfu era of the Northern Song. It burned down in the 13th century as the Yuan dynasty fell. The Kangxi-era East and West Pagodas were added in 1713; Red Guards demolished the East Pagoda in 1968, and the complex was rebuilt from 2009 and opened in February 2010.
The temple was a gathering point for pilgrims heading to Lingyin and Tianzhu, earning the name "First Incense of the Canal". Its Mahavira Hall enshrines the three Buddhas of the horizontal directions, and a separate hall honours the kitchen guardian, Da Sheng Jinnara Wang, a figure tied to the monastery's refectory.
The temple stands at No. 1 Xiangji Temple, Dadou Road, Gongshu District, on the Grand Canal side. The rebuilt complex covers 16,855 square metres, with 13,150 square metres of floor space; the halls follow a central axis from the paifang and life-release pond through the Tianwang Hall, the Hall of the Great Sage Kinnara, the Mahavira Hall and the sutra library. The grounds reopened in February 2010, so the visit is mostly level walking between modern halls; the Qing-dynasty West Pagoda is the one original structure to seek out.
The west pagoda, built in 1713 under the Kangxi emperor, is the only structure on the site that predates the 2009 reconstruction. Its third-storey eaves on the east face carry a plaque reading "Ciyun" (Compassionate Cloud), inscribed with the date and the name of the monk Shicheng who built it. The east pagoda was demolished in 1968; a new tower now stands in its place, and the original west pagoda has been moved to the east side.
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