Yuantong Temple

Yuantong Temple is the grandest and most active temple in Kunming with a history of more than 1200 years. The temple has undergone repeated renovation. There is also a new building with a statue of Sakyamuni, given by the King of Thailand. Yuantong Temple is located on the south side of Yuantong Hill and is a destination of pilgrimage for pilgrims worldwide. In 1956, the temple held a tooth of the Buddha here for a short time. The ceremonies at which the tooth relic where received and sent off were important events in the history of Yuantong Temple. Having embodied all the essentials of Tang architecture, the temple possesses a style of its own. The halls of the temple are visited in order on a declining slope, not on an ascending slope as is typical in Chinese Buddhist temples. Within the precinct of the temple there is a pool reserved for setting captive fish free! (Fangshengchi); filled with green water, while in the middle of the pool is an octagonal pavilion with stone bridges in the front and at the back. The pavilion is furnished in an elegant manner and is invested with a tone of antiquity. Walking along a stone bridge from the Octagonal Pavilion the tourist will come to the "Daxon Temple".