White Horse Temple



White Horse Temple (Baima Temple) is located 12 km away from Luoyang City. Established by the
Han Dynasty in 68 AD when Buddhism started to spread, this temple is believe to be the first Buddhist
temple built by the government in China.

According to historical records, Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220 AD) once sent his
minister on a diplomatic mission to western region to learn about Buddhism. After finished study, they
came back with two eminent Indian dignitary monks - She Moteng and Zhu Falan, and a white horse
carried the sutra and the figure of Buddha. In order to memorialize the white horse's contribution of
taking back the sutra, Emperor Ming ordered the construction of the temple and named it White Horse
Temple.

The White Horse Temple has undergone many repairs and renovations in all previous dynasties. The present appearance is much different from
its original one. What we see today was restored during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with an area of 34,000
square meters. Facing south, the main buildings of the temple stand on or along the central axis, including the Temple Gate, the Heavenly King
Hall, the Great Buddha Hall, the Main Hall, the Jieyin Hall, and the Pilu Pavilion, etc. Beside those main buildings are the Reception Chamber, the
Cloud-water Chamber, the Ancestors Chamber, the Guests Chamber, the Buddhist Chamber, and the Abbot Courtyard and so on. The huge White
Horse Temple has over 100 rooms.

White Horse Temple was regarded as the "originating court" and the "cradle of Chinese Buddhism" by the Buddhist disciples. Since its
establishment, White Horse Temple has experienced vicissitudes of centuries. It was rebuilt for several times, in
which the restoration during the reign of Emperor Wu Zetian was especially notable in its large scale.

As the first Buddhist temple in China, the White Horse Temple plays a significant role in the history of Chinese
Buddhism and China's international cultural exchanges. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the
People's Government paid much attention to the temple and thoroughly restored it several times from 1952 to 1973.
It has become an attraction to domestic and foreign tourists.