Mituo Temple
# Mituo Temple

Mituo Temple (simplified Chinese: 弥陀寺; traditional Chinese: 彌陀寺; pinyin: Mítuó Sì; lit. 'Maitreya Temple') is a former Buddhist temple located in Xihu District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

## History

Mituo Temple was first built in 1878, in the ruling of Guangxu Emperor (1875–1908) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). After the founding of the Communist State in 1949, it was used as school, factory and residential building. In 2005 it has been listed among the second group of "Historical Buildings in Hangzhou" by Hangzhou government. It was officially opened to the public in July 2016 after a modern renovation. It is no longer used as a religious building.

## Architecture

Along the central axis of the temple stand three buildings including the Shanmen, Giant Buddha Hall and Stone Sutra Pavilion. Subsidiary structures were built on both sides of the central axis including wing-room, dining room and bedroom. The Amitabha Sutra was carved on the wall of the Stone Sutra Pavilion (Chinese: 石经阁). It is the largest existing cliff stone carving in Hangzhou.

