Lingyin Temple

Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul's Retreat) is one of the largest and most important Buddhist temples in China, nestled in forested hills northwest of West Lake. Founded in 328 AD, the current buildings date primarily from the Qing Dynasty and house extraordinary collections of Buddhist art including the enormous camphor wood Sakyamuni statue — 24.8 metres high — in the Hall of the Great Hero. The adjacent Feilai Feng cliff carvings depict over 330 Buddhist figures carved between the 10th and 14th centuries.