No. 19: Wenshu Yuan, Chengdu, Sichuan

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on May 21, 2012.)

A rakshasa (罗刹) or demon is crushed under the foot of Virudhaka (增长天王) in the Heavenly Kings' Hall
(天王殿) at Wenshu Yuan (文殊院) in Chengdu, Sichuan (四川, 成都市). These figures represent the
"crushing" of unhelpful desires. They also sometimes serve to hold up the unsupported leg of a statue.

May 15, 2010 - In May of 2010, I had a chance to visit Chengdu to meet up with an old friend. This gave me a chance to see the three temples there that were on my list, plus the one at nearby Leshan.

The first temple I visited was Wenshu Yuan, where my wife (who arrived on a later flight than mine) and my friends would meet me for lunch. The temple is located in the heart of the city, now just two subway stops from Tianfu Square (though the subway wasn't open when we were there).