White Horse Temple

Introduction

Located 12km (7 miles) east of Luoyang, the White Horse Temple was built in 68AD and was the 1st Buddhist temple founded in China. This historically important temple is often referred to as the "No. 1 Ancient Temple in China". Legend says that 2 Indian monks brought Buddhist scriptures to Luoyang on white horses and the founders named the temple after this event. Many of the halls and statues found in this monastery date back to the Yuan and Ming dynasties (1206-1644AD).