Shanhua Monastery

The Shanhua Monastery, 善化寺 in Chinese, is located in the Southern District of the city Datong, Shanxi Province, China. It is also known as the Southern Monastery. It was built between 713 and 741 AD during the Tang Dynasty and was named Kaiyuan Monastery. In 1445,Monk Da Yong sent a memorial to teeming emperor asking for permission to keep Buddhist scripts in the monastery. It was granted and the monastery went through a thorough repair. Then it was renamed Shanhua Monastery. The imposing Mahavira Hall, Sansheng Hall and Puxian Hall are all excellent in design.