Is the Usnisa Palace in Nanjing the Quirkiest Buddhist Temple in the World?

Visiting the Niushoushan Cultural Park

This expansive park consists of several temples, pagodas, ponds and parks scattered around Niushou Mountain. This has been a holy Buddhist site since the Tang dynasty (618 – 907), but the original Usnisa temple was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s.

Later, when a fragment of the Buddha’s skull was allegedly found here, China went all out and spent an estimated 4 billion RMB (more than 600 million USD) to construct a new temple complex.

With that budget, they spared no detail, and the whole complex is pure eye candy.

You should definitely not miss the Niushoushan Cultural Park when you’re in Nanjing. It’s an unfathomable mishmash of commercialised spirituality, zen, mindfuck, divinity, craftmanship, brilliance and even perhaps a dash of Gaudi.

Usnisa Palace

If the palace looks like a giant durian from the outside, it’s definitely the stomach of Jonah’s whale on the inside. The giant durian is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg though. The biggest part of the palace is hidden underground.

Chan State Scenery (禅境大观)

The first part of the Usnisa Palace that you’ll enter is called the Chan State Scenery.

Take a moment to admire the exquisite jade reliefs as you enter the palace. After the jade panels, you’ll enter the Chan State Scenery proper. This is an enormous hall, almost the size of an airplane hangar, and this is where the magic really starts.

Once your eyes have adjusted to the dimmed lights and you have told yourself that this is not a dream, you’ll be awed by the gigantic interior. The immense size, together with the colours and textures, is straight from an acid trip.

The focal point of the Chan State Scenery is the large reclining Sakyamuni statue that slowly rotates 360 degrees. Remind yourself to close your mouth from hanging open as you admire the latticed ceiling, alcoves filled with buddhas, bronze trees, and LED lights.

When you’ve either reached Nirvana or sensory overload, head outside and follow the curved porch hugging the giant durian. Look out for signage saying Great Usnisa Hall or Thousand Buddhas Hall.

Great Usnisa Hall ((舍利大殿))

At the entrance leading to the Great Usnisa Hall, you will need to slip on some shoe covers first, before you can enter. When you see the gorgeous, marble inlay floors you will understand why they make you wear shoe covers. Shoe covers are provided free of charge.

With your shoes covered, take a series of escalators deep down underground. Keep going until you can go no more.

At the bottom of the escalators, you’ll enter the Ten Thousand-Buddha Corridor. We didn’t count, but with buddhas from floor to ceiling, we took their word for it. Following this corridor and walking past the relief sculptures of thousands of Buddhas will lead you to the spectacular Great Usnisa Hall.

The Great Usnisa Hall, or Thousand-Buddha Hall, is without a doubt the highlight of the Nanjing Niushoushan Cultural Park. Just as you wrap your head around all the trippy colours, different kinds of marbles, shiny orbs, crystal inlays and Buddhas serenely smiling down at you, then you remember that all of these are SIX FLOORS UNDERGROUND!

Usnisa Pagoda

The 88-metre tall, 9-tiered Usnisa Pagoda is also worth a quick stop after making it back above ground. Constructed in the style of the Tang dynasty, the wooden pagoda offers sweeping views across the entire Niushoushan Cultural Park.

It’s possible to climb all the way to the 9th tier, but we were so exhausted by the time we got here that we made it to the first tier and that was enough for us. (Reaching Zen is knowing when to stop 😂 ).

Apparently, the bronze Usnisa Vajra Clock on the 8th floor is quite spectacular, while the top floor is where you can see yet another stunning Buddha statue and see the Yangtze River in the distance. Do let us know if there is any truth to this if you ever make it up there (AKA reach Nirvana).

Usnisa Palace Nanjing: Worth Visiting?

Without a doubt!

Say no to drugs and visit the Usnisa Palace instead! It’s a magical world beyond your wildest imagination. We have not seen anything that we can compare it with. This is what enlightenment looks like in the 22nd century.

If you have any questions (or tips on instant enlightenment), drop us a message in the comments below.
Peace out.