Baima Si (White Horse Temple)
It is more than likely that earlier Buddhist temples were built along the Silk Routes in what is today's Xinjiang (the path by which Buddhism entered China), but this is widely held to be the first officially sanctioned Buddhist temple built in China proper. Located 13km (7 miles) to the east of Luoyang, this temple was built by the Eastern Han Ming Di emperor (reigned A.D. 58-76) to honor and house two Indian monks who, the story goes, came from India bearing Buddhist scriptures on two white horses. Two stone horses (likely from the Song dynasty) stand guard outside the gate to today's temple, mostly a Ming construction. Just inside the main entrance in the southeastern and southwestern corners of the complex are the tombs of the two Indian monks. In the impressive Yuan dynasty Daxiong Dian (Great Hall), there are 18 arhats (disciples) of ramie cloth.
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| Hours | 7:30am-6pm | |
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| Location | Baima Si Lu | |
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| Transportation | Bus: no. 56 (from Xigua stop on Zhongzhou Zhong Lu) | |
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| Prices | Admission ¥35 ($4.50) | |