Temples are the buildings of people and ancestors who sacrifice to gods and make contributions to the people.

Temple has a development process. It was the altar of sacrifice at first, and then there were names such as temple, temple, ancestral hall, mausoleum temple and ancestral hall.

But houses dedicated to bodhisattvas are also called temples. Such as Kannonji and Manjusri Bodhisattva Temple.

For example, the yi county Beifudi Altar 8000 years ago may have been dedicated to Shennong. In gardening and metallurgy, people sorted out an approximately square plane with a depth of about 90 square meters and 20 centimeters, placed sacrifices and began to offer sacrifices. After the sacrificial ceremony, it is sealed and hidden.

Hongshan Culture, Niuheliang 5000 years ago, has a temple dedicated to the goddess, which is the earliest temple discovered in China so far.

▲ Archaeological site of Niuheliang Hongshan Culture Site

After the historical evolution of Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang and Song, there are countless temples, among which the most famous is the Five-Square Altar, which is dedicated to Diqing Taitai, Huangdi Xuanyuan, Chi Di Shennong, Bai Di Shao Hao and Hei Di Zhuan Xu. Seven temples of the emperor (the ancestor of the emperor), family temples (the ancestor of the family) and Confucius temples; Fuxi Temple, Nu Wa Niang Temple, Huangdi Temple, Hubei Suizhou Mausoleum Temple, Shennong Temple (Temple), Land Temple, Leigong Temple, City God Temple, Longwang Temple, Confucian Temple, Wu Temple, etc.

Temples, also known as monasteries and temples, are houses and buildings for Buddhist missionary practice.

Buddhism was introduced into China in the Han Dynasty. The earliest temple was an ordinary temple tower in Nangong City, Hebei Province. It was built in 67 AD during the reign of Emperor Yongping of the Eastern Han Dynasty, with a history of more than 2,000 years.

The second largest temple is the Baima Temple in Luoyang, Henan Province. It was built in Yongping 1 1 year, in 68 AD, one year later than ordinary temples.

Other famous ones are Suoguo Temple in Tokyo's capital and Shaolin Temple in Songshan.

Why did China build so many temples in ancient times?

First, it has a long history and culture, and there are many gods and bodhisattvas.

China has a history of 10,000 years of civilization and worships nature. Sacrificing ancestors by law has always been the essence of Chinese civilization. Therefore, many gods of heaven and earth are worshipped and many people have made outstanding contributions to the people. After the introduction of Buddhism, Buddhist bodhisattvas were added.

Second, emperors of past dynasties paid attention to sacrifice to show that they did not forget the fundamentals.

Confucius once said that there are two major national events: one is to sacrifice to the gods and safeguard the spiritual civilization of the people; The other is to develop military forces to ensure the stable development of the country. Therefore, emperors and princes of all dynasties attached importance to religious activities.

Third, China's ancient economy was developed, ranking first in the world.

Yangshao culture and Longshan culture, both of which are vast in territory, seemed to be world powers at that time; During the Han, Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties, the economy and culture were developed, ranking first in the world, so it had strong economic strength to build altars, temples and ancestral temples.

Fourth, social needs.

In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and people often had to walk thousands of miles to go to work, catch up with exams, travel, visit relatives and friends, read books, travel, and even escape from famine, chaos, revenge, begging, and so on. These activities need a foothold, a place to stay, a place to shelter from the rain, a place to replenish supplies, and so on.

Watching ancient dramas, many poor scholars spent the night in the ruined temple. In the west wing, Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying rest in Pujiu Temple.

Therefore, over time, many emperors, officials, celebrities, everyone, squires and so on. Very supportive of the construction of temples, pavilions, etc. And think this is a good thing. It can not only improve spiritual civilization, but also meet social needs, increase local popularity and beautify the environment.

Although there were 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, how many towers were there in the misty rain? Fortunately, China believed in religion, but he didn't engage in feudal superstition. Most officials and intellectuals worship ghosts and gods, but far away, they regard sacrifice as a political means to purify the soul, educate the people and persuade the emperor.

So, are all temples built on the mountain? This should be divided into specific circumstances:

First, in order to show the noble status of the gods, it was built on the mountain.

For example, Niuheliang site is composed of 16 sites, such as goddess temple, altar and stone pier. The Goddess Temple is located on the main beam of Niuheliang Mountain. According to expert research, this is to highlight the noble status of the goddess. People work and live in the valley, look up at the peaks and the goddess temple, and worship arises spontaneously.

Second, the temple is large in scale and built on the plain.

For example, the Five Emperors Temple in Qin and Han Dynasties was built in Sanyuan Plain, Shaanxi Province. Because a group of five temples covers an area too wide to be arranged on the mountain, they are built on the plain. However, although it was built in the plain, in order to show its aristocratic status, it was also a platform made of rammed earth, about twenty or thirty meters high. Building a temple on the platform also has a condescending momentum.

3. Temples built according to the birthplace of the gods or the location of ascension and tombs.

For example, the Huangdi Temple in Qiao Shan, Shaanxi Province is the legendary place where Huangdi ascended to heaven. A temple was built on this mountain to commemorate it.

Yandiling Temple in Suizhou, Hubei Province is the location of the legendary Yan Di Mausoleum. There are many Shennong temples (shrines) all over the country, and it is said that Shennong lives there.

Fourth, it is convenient to educate and preach, and it is built on the main roads or Kyoto and famous cities.

Such as Confucian Temple, Wu Temple and Guandi Temple, have been built in all counties and cities in China.

In the Song Dynasty, the Dasuoguo Temple in Tokyo was built in Kyoto. The ordinary temple in Nangong City is built on the main road. Hoonji in Shouxian County was built at the request of Master Tang Sanzang.

Fifth, it is easy to clean and repair, and it is built on the top of the mountain.

For example, Jiuhuashan Dojo and Wutai Mountain Buddhist Holy Land are all built on the peaks of deep mountains.

6. When traveling abroad, you often choose a secluded place in the mountains.

For example, the Tolin Temple in Lushan Mountain is Hui Yuan, a shaman. He is going to dive in Luofu Mountain in Guangdong with Master Hui Yong, passing through Xunyang. Seeing that Lushan Mountain was quiet enough to settle down, he left Longquan Jingshe and moved to Xilin. In 384, in the ninth year of Taiyuan, Huan Yi was appointed as the secretariat of Jiangzhou, and accepted Hui Yong's suggestion to build a Torin Temple for Huiyuan.

7. The gods worshipped in both urban and rural areas are built in residential areas.

For example, Town God Temple and Land Temple have been built in counties, cities and villages in order to worship the afterlife of water control and pray for local peace.