The Jile Temple (jí lè sì 极乐寺) is located on the East Straight Avenue of Nangang (nán gǎng 南岗) District, Harbin, Helongjiang (hēi lóng jiāng 黑龙江) Province. It is honored as one of four well-known temples in Northeast China.

 

 

The temple, covering an area of 57,000 square meters, was built in 1920 by Master Yanxu (dàn xū 倓虚), a famous disciple of the Tiantai (tiān tán 天坛) Buddhist clan. The complex of the temple consists of the Heavenly King Hall, the Mahavira Hall (dà xióng bǎo diǎn 大雄宝殿), the Three Saints Hall, and the Buddhist Book Storage Hall. The main halls are fronted by a Drum Tower and a Bell Tower and other subordinate structures. At every sunrise and sunset, the monks will beat the drum and the bell of two towers for asking the other monks to do their morning and the afternoon worships. The citizens in Harbin will start their daily life according to the beating times. Sometimes, monks could also beat the drum and the bell during the temple ceremonies. The most imposing building of the temple is probably the Futu Pagoda (fú tú bǎo tǎ 浮屠宝塔) on the eastern tip of the grounds, a 37 meters tall stone structure building dotted with caves engraved with Buddhist embossed sculptures. At the bottom of the pagoda is a large hall with Buddhist statues.

 

The temple is characterized by its age, its architecture and its lay out and all are designed strictly after the Chinese Buddhist style. The temple is therefore looked upon as the model for visitors to understand and appreciate the art of traditional Chinese temple building. Every house is built of blue bricks and glazed colored tiles. Facing south, it can be divided into three courtyards on the left, middle and right. The Mountain Gate is built to resemble the Chinese character "山" (mountain in English), thus the name "Mountain Gate". The front hall is the Heavenly King Hall, followed by the Hall of Mahavira, the Hall of Three Saints and Scriptures-storing Tower according to priority.

 

There are similarities and differences in the shape, structure, ornament and arrangement among the buildings in the temple. For example, the Hall of Mahavira and the Back Hall do not have wood brackets and large open windows, instead, the separate small windows clearly reflects the typical feature of housing in the cold climate of northeastern China.

The Heavenly King Hall is the first hall on arrival. There is a 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) tall sitting statue of Maitreya in the middle, with the sitting statues of the Four Heavenly Kings in the east and west. The statue of Vitasoka (wéi tuó 韦驮) (the protector of Buddhism) stands to the north.

 

Passing through the Heavenly King Hall, visitors come to the Hall of Mahavira, the main hall in the temple. On the corridor that links these two halls, there's any extraordinary 3 meters (9.8 feet) precious iron tripod. It gives dignity to the temple. On the steps in front of the Hall of Mahavira, there is a pair of stone lions command an air of authority. A 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) tall sitting statue of Sakyamuni (shì jiā móu ní 释迦牟尼) is set right at the center. The inscription rubbings of the Picture of 500 Arhats (luó hàn 罗汉) are arranged on the east and west walls.

The Hall of Three Saints is located behind the Hall of Mahavira. In the center of the hall, is the standing statue of Namo Amita Buddha (nán wú ā mí tuó fó 南无阿弥陀佛). To its left and right, there are standing statues of Kwanyin (guān yīn 观音) and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (dà shì zhì pú sà 大势至菩萨). To the east stands the statue of ksitigahba Bodhisattva (dì cáng pú sà 地藏菩萨).

Every 8th, 18th and 28th of April according to the lunar calendar, Major Buddhist Festivals are held in the temple. Massive rites and celebrations are organized, while the temple area is surrounded with bazaars and various folk activities.

 

Address: No. 9 the East Straight Avenue of Nangang (nán gǎng 南岗) District

Opening Time: 8:00-17:00

Transportation: Take bus No. 3, 6, 14, 25, 52, 53, 55, 66, 70, 74, 78, 92, 104, 105 or Night Line 2 and get off at Harbin Engineering University.

Admission Fee: CNY 10