Ciyun Temple (South Gate)

Ciyun Temple, formerly known as Ciyun Nunnery, is located in the west of Wanzhou, Chongqing, upstream of the Three Gorges Scenic Spot on the Yangtze River, adjacent to Taibai Rock and south to Wulong Pond. Ciyun Temple is a famous Buddhist resort in Wanzhou with a long and ancient cultural history. It is an ideal place for religious activities and tourism and leisure. The current temple covers an area of nearly ten acres. The temple sits west to the east, with a width of about 45 meters from north to south, and a length of 90 meters from east to west. It is high in the north and low in the south. The splendid, solemn Buddha statues, the melodious Sanskrit sounds, the birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, and the incense are becoming more and more vigorous. At present, the temple is mainly furnished with temple complexes such as Front and Back Mountain Gate, Daxiong Hall, Yuantong Hall, Sansheng Hall, Jialan Hall, Lantern Hall, Maitreya Hall, and Weituo Hall. Dashanmen is the main outlet of the monastery. It is an antique building with double eaves. The three characters of "Ciyun Temple" on the banner of the mountain gate are written by Zhao Puchu. The Daxiong Hall is dedicated to: Sakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; the Three Saints Hall is dedicated to the three Western icons; the Jialan Hall is dedicated to Jialan Bodhisattva; the Lantern Hall is dedicated to the ancient burning lamp Buddha; Maitreya Hall is dedicated to Maitreya Bodhisattva; Wei Tuo Hall is dedicated to Wei Tuo Bodhisattva. In addition, the monastery has also built a vegetarian incense restaurant to provide vegetarian food and leisure places for the vast number of pilgrims and tourists.