Jade Buddha Temple

The Jade Buddha Temple is one of Shanghai’s rare Buddhist temples, which have diminished through the years. The famous Jade Buddha in the temple is believed to have been brought by Buddhist monks from Burma and installed it during the 1800s.

The temple was re-built in 1918 after being overthrown by the Qing dynasty. The temple still houses two Buddha statues made from jade. There are a total of seventy monks in the temple doing various ceremonies all throughout the day.

Rare paintings and ancient Buddhist writing can be found in the Jade Buddha Temple. More than seven thousand Dazang Sutras are being kept in the Jade Buddha Tower. Two courtyards are also present in the Temple with a total of three main halls.

The first hall of the temple is called the Devaraja hall. This hall is where the four celestial kings are believed to have been buried. The Mahavira Hall, on the other hand, hosts the statues of the three Buddha’s surrounded by eighteen statues.

The third hall is the Jade Buddha tower where the famous Jade Buddha is kept along with the Sutras.

Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha can be found in the Temple. The sitting Buddha, carved with whole white jade, is a picture of enlightenment and meditation. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and it is wearing a robe inlaid with precious emerald and agate.

The Recumbent Buddha, on the other hand, is 96 centimeters long and is lying on his right side. The recumbent pose is also known as the ‘lucky repose’ and it portrays the sedate face of the Buddha.

The Grand Hall of the temple is where the god of the 20 heavens is located. The gods are covered in gold and they line the eastern and the western sides of the hall.

Jade Buddha Temple