Hall of the Five Hundred Arhats
Lingyin Temple
19 July 2009
The Hall of the Five Hundret Arhats (五百罗汉堂) has four wings housing a total of 500 approximately life-sized bronze statues of arhats (spiritual practitioners, enlightened followers of the Buddha). Each one is unique, and they are numbered underneath so visitors can be sure there are really 500. In the middle of the room, covering statues representing the four cardinal directions, there is a bronze canopy (visible on the left) which is the tallest solid bronze structure in the world.