Xuanzang Temple. Continue west along the lake road for about 4.8 kilometers to reach Xuanguang Temple. Continuing west along the lake road for about 4.8 kilometers, you will reach Xuanguang Temple. Master Xuanzang was a prominent monk during the Tang Dynasty. Feeling that the Buddhist scriptures already translated at the time had many discrepancies, leaving people at a loss, the Master sought to obtain the true meaning of Buddhism. He defied the imperial ban and overcame numerous difficulties to travel to India to retrieve scriptures. After seventeen years, he returned to China with 657 volumes of scriptures. Together with his disciples, he translated 75 works, totaling 1,335 scrolls, making outstanding contributions to the development of Buddhism in China. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese plundered Master Xuanzang's parietal bone relic from Nanjing and enshrined it at Ci'en Temple in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In 1955, the relic was brought to Taiwan and temporarily enshrined at Xuanguang Temple by Sun Moon Lake. In November 1965, after Xuanguang Temple was completed, the relic was then moved to Xuanguang Temple. Xuanguang Temple is built in the Tang Dynasty style, with green tiles and vermilion pillars, simple and unadorned, with a serene environment that embodies the dignified elegance of a Chinese garden. It faces Sun Moon Lake and is backed by Qinglong Mountain. Feng shui masters say that the temple occupies a precious "Green Dragon Playing with a Pearl" site, making it the best resting place for Master Xuanzang's parietal bone relic. The Master Xuanzang Cultural Relics Memorial Hall opened to the public on March 28, 2014.
Address: 南投縣魚池鄉日月村中正路389號
Hours: 00:00–23:59
Nantou