Situated in the south eastern part of central Beijing in China is the Temple of Heaven - a magnificent temple often visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual prayer ceremonies to Heaven for good harvest in the past. Definitely the biggest park to visit in Beijing more than twice the area of the Forbidden City.
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| Temple of Heaven for Good Harvests |
The Temple of Heaven was constructed during the reign of Ming emperor Yongle in 1406 to 1420, who also oversaw the creation of the Forbidden City. It was originally named Temple of Heaven and Earth, but was renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of emperor Jiajing in the 16th century. Jiajing also built separate complexes - the temples of the earth, the sun and the moon in the north, east and west respectively but were later revamped during the reign of emperor Qianlong.
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| Panorama of the Temple of Heaven viewed from the south. |
In 1998, the Temple of Heaven was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations".
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| One of the halls with me at the fore ground.... |
The temple grounds cover 2.73 sq. km. of parkland with three main structures in it namely: the Altar of Heaven, the Imperial Vault surrounded by Echo Wall and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
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| Temple for Good Harvests |
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| Inside the temple |
The most prominent structure situated at the north end of the Temple is the majestic Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It is an impressive three-tiered wooden structure that sits on a large three-tiered marble plinth, six meters high, without a single nail used to construct it - an amazing feat that needed a high level of craftmanship. Inside the Hall are twenty - eight pillars that support this three-tier building. Four pillars symbolizing the four seasons and the twelve pillars on each side to represent the twelve months and the twelve Schichens of a day. Schichen is a unit of time used by the ancient Chinese in which one Schichen is equal to two hours.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven is like a huge umbrella with a gold head. It is almost similar to that of the Hall of Prayer but just smaller in comparison. It was used to place memorial tablets of gods. The Vermilion Steps Bridge or also known as the Sacred Way connected these two structures. The emperors in the past believed that they could go to heaven through this bridge.
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| Panorama of the Imperial Vault of Heaven from the opposite side. |
It is such that the enormity of the structures found in Beijing never fails to amaze! And, Temple of Heaven is just one of the many magnificent places to visit there. It was indeed a great pleasure to be able to witness it myself.
.:. All Panorama images are courtesy of
wikipedia.
