Raw data
Nanchan Monastery
This monastery is located twenty-two kilometers southwest of Wutai County. It is the oldest existing monastery of wooden structure dating from the Tang Dynasty. The monastery includes a gate, Hall of the Dragon King (Longwangdian), Hall of Great Buddha (Dafodian), Hall of Bodhisattva (Pusadian), and other fine examples of ancient timber construction. On display at the monastery are lifelike color sculptures comparable in style to those in Mogao Grottoes (Dunhuang) in China' northwestern province of Gausu. [= Gansu - tmc]
http://www.foreignercn.com/bbs/redirect.php?tid=30915&goto=lastpost
Input by: tmciolek, Apr 16, 2009
[Wutai Shan] "the mountain's inaccessibility has always given it a degree of protection, and many of the temples survived the Cultural Revolution intact. Most of the forty temples remaining today are in the monastic village of Taihuai, which sits in a depression surrounded by the five holy peaks. Highlights are the ninth-century revolving bookcase of the Tayuan Si and the two ancient temples, the Song-dynasty Foguan and the Tang-dynasty Nanchan. All the temples today are working, and shaven-headed monks in orange and brown robes conducting esoteric ceremonies or perambulating around the stupas are a common sight"
http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=88&xid=idh396239112_0240
A prayer hall that has been preserved in its original Tang Dynasty shape is the main hall of Nanchan Monastery 南禪寺 near the Buddhist mountain Wutaishan 五台山 in Shanxi.
http://www.numerals.de/Art/Pagodas/pagodas.html
Wutai, China Page
Other names: Wu-t'ai-hsien
World:China:Shanxi Sheng
Lat 38.7100 Long 113.2500
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/24/Wutai.html
Input by: tmciolek, 17 Apr, 2009
Final data (and their sources)
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Nanchan monastery, CN.
Lat 38.71105 Long 113.1185
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Nanchan monastery - http://www.foreignercn.com/bbs/redirect.php?tid=30915&goto=lastpost
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- China:Shanxi Sheng
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- 南禅寺 - http://www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destination/content/default.aspx?titleid=88&xid=idh396239112_0240
- Nanchan Monastery 南禪寺 http://www.numerals.de/Art/Pagodas/pagodas.html
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx. - Lat 38.71105 Long 113.1185 - visual identification on the map, in maps.google.com, tmciolek 12 Jan 2010.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- The nearby Foguan monastery.
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
- Wu-t'ai-hsien - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/24/Wutai.html
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Exactly - Lat 38.7100 Long 113.2500 - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/CH/24/Wutai.html
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9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Mahayana
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
final data ….
11. Date-early
- 600 - 900 CE
12. Date-intermediate
final data ….
13. Date-late
- 2000 CE. Still occupied and in use
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
final data ….
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
- texts, architecture, oral tradition
16. Additional notes
final data (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)….
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
final data ….
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