There are actually two thousand-year-old temples with the same name in Ningbo. One is popular and the other is low-key. Very few people know about it.

I love photography and traveling. I am so magical. I want to share the beauty of the journey with you.

Ashoka Temple

Ashoka Ancient Temple

Speaking of the thousand-year-old temple in Ningbo, we have to mention the Ashoka Temple. It is the only existing temple in our country with a history of A famous Zen Buddhist temple named after King Asoka of India. The temple also houses precious relics and relic pagodas. Not to mention Ningbo or Zhejiang, Ashoka Temple also has a certain reputation internationally. But as a native of Ningbo, I didn’t know until recently that there are actually two Ashoka Temples. One is popular and the other is remote and low-key, and very few people know about it.

Ashoka Temple

The Ashoka Temple that Ningbo people are familiar with is the one in Baozhuang, Wuxiang Town, Yinzhou District. When you drive over, you can see the four cement pillars in front of the temple, which are tall and majestic. There are no entrance fees for the entire Ashoka Temple, and you can receive free incense candles and burn incense according to regulations. There are no messy calligraphy booths, so it looks clean and quiet. During holidays, there are especially many people who come here to pray, and there are also many foreign tourists who come here to see it. On weekdays, even if the weather is bad, many people come to the temple. It is a popular thousand-year-old temple.

Ashoka Temple

Ashoka Temple

The other Ashoka Temple is in Wushi'ao, Jiaxi Village, Beilun, Ningbo. The two temples are only 6 kilometers apart, but they are very close. Few people know that the other exists. This one in Beilun is called the Ancient Ashoka Temple or the Ancient Ashoka Temple. It was probably renovated in 2008. Although the two temples have the same name, they have completely different levels of excitement. In fact, tourists who observe carefully may find that there is a stop sign on the road in front of the Ashoka Temple pointing to the location of the ancient Ashoka Temple, but they probably never think about it specifically like me.

Ashoka Ancient Temple

Two Ashoka temples have the same name, one is in Yinzhou and the other is in Beilun. So which one is the "true or false" one?

In fact, both are true, with the same name and surname and the same origin. In the third year of Taikang in the Western Jin Dynasty, the eminent monk Huida accidentally found the relic pagoda from the Asoka period when he traveled to the Wushi'ao area in Beilun, Ningbo, so he built a temple dedicated to worshiping the relics in the Wushi'ao area. The ancient Ashoka Temple in Beilun, which started at the beginning, has a history of more than 1,000 years.

Ashoka Ancient Temple

Later, as the temple became more and more famous, there were more and more monks, believers, and people praying. The original Ashoka Ancient Temple began to be unable to accommodate so many people. Multiple people. In addition, the geographical location of Jiaxi Village in Beilun was remote, so the West Pagoda Courtyard was rebuilt in the next 300 years, which is now the Ashoka Temple in Yinzhou District. Ashoka Temple is still very popular, and the Ashoka Ancient Temple is low-key and hidden in the small mountain village of Beilun. Although Ashoka's ancient temple is deserted, as the ancestral temple of the temple, it is still noble in the hearts of many people.

Ashoka Ancient Temple

What is interesting is that the two Ashoka temples are very similar in terms of temple layout, with similar mountain gates, release ponds, and then the Heavenly King Hall and the Mahavira Hall. I heard from tourists in the ancient temple that apart from the size, there is not much difference between the two temples in appearance. The ancient temple is located at the foot of the mountain. There are fewer people so the environment is more peaceful. If it is just a tourist attraction, it is also a very good place. Especially the yellow courtyard wall and the bluestone path have a sense of age.

Ashoka Temple

Ashoka Ancient Temple

There is also an Internet celebrity vegetarian restaurant in Ashoka Ancient Temple that is very popular among tourists. The independent small building is located in the release pond. Next to it, there are large floor-to-ceiling windows. Even eating in this environment becomes particularly Zen-like. To be honest, most tourists who come to the ancient temple come to the restaurant to eat, otherwise they would not know that there is an ancient Ashoka Temple here.

Asoka Ancient Temple Internet Celebrity Restaurant

Did you know that there are 2 Asoka Temples in Ningbo? If this is the first time you hear about it like me, you might as well go to the ancient temple in your spare time and maybe you can discover different places.

Warm reminder:

1. The location of Ashoka Ancient Temple is relatively remote, you can directly navigate to Ashoka Ancient Temple.

2. Asoka Temple can be reached by taking Metro Line 1 and getting off at Baozhuang Station and walking for 10 minutes. If you drive, there is a parking lot at the door, which costs 10 yuan/car.