The Lingyin Temple is probably one of the oldest temples I have ever visited. Although it isn’t really that obvious. The temple has been around since the fourth century and it has undergone several renovations since. At its peak there were a lot of monks who lived in this temple as it also served as a monastery. The Lingyin Temple has a traditional layout where there are halls one after the other. Inside these halls housed Buddhist figures which are venerated by the faithful.
The layout of the Lingyin Temple reminded me of the layout of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing and probably every other imperial palace I have been to. Once you think you have done exploring one temple, when you reach the back of the temple, you are met with another set of halls. It was like a hall of mirrors. There was another vessel to burn incense and offerings in the next arrea. I don’t really know much about temple layouts and why they all tend to be the same. But I was familiar enough with the other temples to know that this will not be the last.
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