Hanging Temple of Hengshan

A 5th-century temple improbably built into the side of a cliff

Category Rites and Rituals, Architectural Oddities

Rites and Rituals http://atlasobscura.com/category/cultures-and-civilizations/rites-and-rituals Architectural Oddities http://atlasobscura.com/category/architectural-oddities

The Hanging Temple, located about 60 km southwest of Datong, China in Shanxi province, is one of the world's forgotten wonders. Clinging to a crag of Hengshan mountain, in apparent defiance of gravity, it consists of 40 rooms linked by a dizzying maze of passageways. The temple is said to have been built by a monk named Liao Ran, during the late Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) and restored in 1900.

The temple was constructed by drilling holes into the cliff side into which the poles that hold up the temples are set. Interestingly the temple is dedicated to not just one religion, but three, with Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism all worshiped within the temple and represented in 78 statues and carvings throughout the temple.

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Users who have been to this place: serflac

  • Hours 9:10 am to 5:00 pm
  • Address Mt. Hengshan, Shanxi, China
  • Cost CNY 60
Sources
Map/Directions

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The temple is located about 60 kilometers southwest of Datong.

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Comments

  • mytravel& mytravel September 7, 2011
    This Hanging Temple is amazing and dangerous also. I thinks this is the most attractive place in China. In India also there are number of attractive temples are there. Konark Temple in Orissa is one is the most beautiful and my favorite temple. http://www.traveladda.com/east_india/orissa/pilgrimages/konark.html
  • admin& admin August 12, 2009
    Dear angry horde, We agree! The pictures can now be clicked to enlarge them to original size. Of course this is also a user-generated site, so if you find yourself wishing a post had bigger pictures, please add some! Click the add photos button above every post and add away. This site is meant to be a resource for everyone and we could definitely use the help! Thanks, The Atlas Obscura Team
  • & Anonymous August 11, 2009
    Until you make your photos bigger, I'm using your website to find interesting place names, then seeking out pictures elsewhere.
  • & Anonymous June 28, 2009
    If you google it, there are some nice close pics on Flickr
  • & Anonymous June 19, 2009
    PLEASE make the photos bigger, or at least make it where they will bigger when you click them! It's an awesome site, but I find myself wanting to go to somewhere else to see bigger photos.
  • & Anonymous June 19, 2009
    The pictures in your articles are too small. You need to make them enlarge when clicked. For a site with the focus on enlightenment that's a HUGE oversight!
  • & Anonymous June 19, 2009
    I think you have the title wrong on this one - It should be "Hengshan".