Tung Po Tor Monastery

Tung Po Tor Monastery

東普陀講寺
Entrance gate of Tung Po Tor Monastery
Monastery information
Order	Buddhist
Established	1932; 93 years ago (1932)
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II historic building
Designated date	16 April 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-16)
Site
Location	Lo Wai, Hong Kong

Tung Po Tor Monastery
Traditional Chinese	東普陀講寺
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dōng Pǔ Tuó Jiǎng Sì Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Dūng póu tòh góng jih Jyutping Dung1 pou2 to4 gong2 zi6 IPA [tʷūŋ pʰʷǔːtʰʷóː 講 tɕǎŋ sz̩̀ː]
Hong Kong Graded Building – Grade II

Yuen Tung Po Din in Tung Po Tor Monastery

The Tung Po Tor Monastery is situated at the foot of Tin Fat Shan in Lo Wai, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. Parts of the monastery are listed as Grade II historic buildings.[1]

History

The Tung Po Tor Monastery was founded in 1932 by the Buddhist Mau Fung for the worship of the Kwun Yum (Goddess of Mercy) including a main hall called Yuen Tung Po Din (Chinese: 圓通寶殿) and an entrance hall called Tin Wong Din (Chinese: 天王殿) separated by an open courtyard in between. There is a big bronze tripod in front of its main hall and the place on which the tripod stands was made in a blast during the Sino-Japanese War. The articles used by Mau Fung and the yellow sateen, the Five Garments and the Bag given by the Emperor of Japan are in display in the Memorial Hall. The temple also displays a statue of a Buddhist medical practitioner that is cast in ancient bronze in the Ming Dynasty.[2]

Architecture

The Tin Wong Din (or Wai Tor Din Chinese: 韋馱殿) is a building in front of the Yuen Tung Bo Din building. It is also a two-storey building constructed of concrete and stone with its walls and columns to support its pitched roofs of timber rafters, purlins and clay tiles. Four round columns painted red are arranged in 1:2:1 proportion in the interiors of the building. The external walls are plastered and painted in earth yellow colour. An altar in the middle of the ground floor hall houses a statue of Maitreya (Chinese: 彌勒佛) facing the entrance and a statue of Wai Tor (Chinese: 韋馱, Skanda) facing the garden. At the two side platforms are the four standing huge statues of the Four Heavenly Kings (Chinese: 四大天王). The upper floor is a classroom and library for the young monks to study while the ridge of the building is decorated with a pearl and two aoyus (Chinese: 鰲魚).[3]

Conservation

Yuen Tong Po Din, as well as Tin Wong Din and Wai Tor Din, were declared as Grade II historic buildings in April 2010.[1]

References

1. "List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings with Assessment Results" (PDF). Antiquities Advisory Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
2. "Tung Po Tor Temple, Tsuen Wan". Hong Kong Memory. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
3. "Tung Po Tor Monastery – Tin Wong Din (Wai Tor Din)" (PDF). Antiquities Advisory Board. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links

• Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Tung Po Tor Monastery, Yuen Tung Po Din Pictures
• Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. Tung Po Tor Monastery, Tin Wong Din & Wai Tor Din Pictures

22.379220°N 114.127074°E / 22.379220; 114.127074