Tianning Temple was built in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the birthplaces of Buddhist music Fanbei. Now it is a large temple in Changzhou. It is characterized by "a large hall, a large Buddha, a large bell, a large drum, and a large Baoding". Just to say that the the Shakya ManiHall is as tall as ten floors. The Tianning Pagoda inside the temple was built in 2007 and is one of the landmarks of Changzhou. Tianning Temple is located north of Hongmei Park, the largest park in Changzhou, and south of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is only 1.5 kilometers away from Changzhou Railway Station and Changzhou Bus Terminal. The main buildings of the temple are arranged along the north-south axis. The main gate opens at the south end. From south to north, there are the gate, the hall, the the Shakya ManiHall, the Jade Buddha Hall, and the Three Treasures Hall. The east and west sides of the hall are respectively the Wenshu Hall and the Puxian Hall. The east and west sides of the Shakya ManiHall are Guanyin Hall and Dizang Hall. The square between the hall and the the Shakya ManiHall is flanked by East Arhat Hall and West Arhat Hall. On the east side of the Jade Buddha Hall are the abbot's quarters and upper guest rooms, while on the west side are the monk's quarters. On the west side of the central axis, there are other buildings such as Buddhist colleges, study halls, release ponds, and Dharma pavilions.. The middle hall and the the Shakya ManiHall are famous for being "big" and magnificent. The hall is over 23 meters high, and the four major temples enshrined inside are 7.8 meters high, which is considered very tall among people in China. The the Shakya ManiHall is 33 meters high. There are two sundials in front of the hall. In the middle of the hall is the third Buddha. Behind the hall is the island Avalokitesvara. On both sides of the twenty heavens, there is a huge clock weighing 4 tons in the right front corner of the hall, and a drum with a diameter of about 2 meters in the left front corner. At the northern end of Tianning Temple is the Tianning Pagoda, in front of which stands a pair of white nine dragon pillars and two huge incense burners for prosperity and longevity. The tower base is surrounded by a circle of four large and eight elephant bronze sculptures. The underground of the tower has an underground palace, and there are thirteen floors above ground. The spire of the tower is a golden diamond throne shaped spire. The large columns, railings, ceilings, stairs, handrails, thresholds, etc. in the tower are all made of nanmu wood. Each floor displays different Buddhist treasures according to different themes, with exquisite Buddha statues, totems, root carvings, etc., equivalent to a Buddhist museum. There is an elevator inside the Tianning Pagoda that can reach the 12th floor. It is recommended to take the elevator to the 12th floor, then walk to the top floor, and walk down to visit each floor. The fifth floor features the Dharma Realm Source and Flow Hall carved from several tons of agarwood, the twelfth floor houses the ancient Buddha Hall made of precious camphor wood from various dynasties, and the thirteenth floor houses the Ten Square Rongdian, a natural crystal Buddha known as the "Treasure of the Town Tower". These are all not to be missed. At the top of the tower, there is a large bell weighing 15 tons and standing 118 meters high. It costs several hundred yuan to strike the bell three times, which is quite expensive. The Tianning Pagoda is also a great place to climb and enjoy the panoramic view of Changzhou City, Tianning Temple, and Hongmei Park. On December 31st every year, Tianning Temple holds a bell ringing welcome event. Before major Buddhist festivals, visiting Tianning Temple, one can hear the famous Tianning chanting. Xu Zhimo visited Lu Xiaoman's hometown of Changzhou and after listening to the chanting at Tianning Temple, he wrote "Listening to the Sound of Rites and Repentance at Changzhou Tianning Zen Temple". On the east side of the Tianning Temple mountain gate, the Tianning Temple Ruyi Su Zhai can eat vegetarian food, and plain noodles are quite popular. There are multiple locations within the temple where Buddhist instruments can be used, including on the left side of the Hall of Samantabhadra, on the right side of the Hall of Manjusri, on both sides of the Hall of Three Treasures, and near the Guanyin Garden on the west side of the Tianning Pagoda. After visiting Tianning Temple, you can take a walk in the adjacent Hongmei Park, walk to the nearby Cultural Palace Commercial Street for shopping, or take a boat tour of the ancient canal in Dongpo Park.
Travel Tips
Address: 636 Yanling Middle Road, Tianning District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Phone: 0519-881780110519-88172552
Opening hours: 8:30-16:30, closing at 6:00, except for major Buddhist events and ceremonies.
Ticket: Tianning Temple Tianning Pagoda Scenic Area Joint Ticket Peak Season:CNY 80 ; Off season:CNY 20