Tanzhe Temple was first built in the first year of Yongjia of Emperor Huai of the Western Jin Dynasty (307 AD), and was originally named Jiafu Temple. During the Wanxian Tongtian period of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (696-697 AD), the monk Huayan rebuilt the temple with the dilapidated Jiafu Temple as the center and renamed it Longquan Temple. In the first year of the Huangtong period of Emperor Xizong of the Jin Dynasty (1141 AD), Emperor Wanyan Dan visited Tanzhe Temple to worship Buddha and donated funds for its renovation and expansion, renaming it Dawan Shou Temple, making him the first emperor to visit Tanzhe Temple. During the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years, Tanzhe Temple underwent several renovations and expansions, and the emperors bestowed several names on the temple, thus changing its name frequently. It once restored its original name, Jiafu Temple. The current overall layout was formed during the Ming Dynasty. In the 31st year of the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1692 AD), Emperor Kangxi donated funds to renovate Tanzhe Temple. In the 36th year of the Kangxi period (1697 AD), Emperor Kangxi personally bestowed the name Chiji Xiu Yun Chan Temple on the temple, and since then Tanzhe Temple has become the largest royal temple in the Beijing area. Most of the existing buildings in the temple are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Tanzhe Temple is located on the southern slope of Baozhu Peak, facing south with its back to the north. The temple covers an area of 0.025 square kilometers, and the area outside the temple is 1.12 square kilometers. Including the forests and mountains under the jurisdiction of Tanzhe Temple, the total area is over 1.21 square kilometers. The buildings in the temple are built according to the terrain, with the north being higher than the south. The entire temple is divided into several major parts, including the central route, the east route, the west route, and the pagoda courtyard, forming the core building complex of Tanzhe Temple. Tanzhe Temple is one of the birthplaces of early Buddhist culture in Beijing. There is a saying among the people of Beijing that Tanzhe Temple existed before the city of Youzhou. Its scale is also the largest among the temples in the capital.
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