The Feilai Temple, commonly known as the Big Temple, was built in 1614 during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) with a history of 385 years. The temple is located 10 kilometers away from Deqen Town in southwest China’s Yunnan province. Visitors come here for the views of Meili Snow Mountain rage, including 6740-meter Kawa Karpo Peak.
Covering 1500 square meters, the Feilai Temple was built according to the mountain terrain with architecture at random discretion. The temple is a combination of three religion s- Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It consists of Zisun (Descendants) Hall, the Hall of God, Haichao (Sea Tide Hall), Liangxiang (Wing-rooms) Hall, Liang’er (Two Ears) Hall, and Sipei (Side) Hall.
The Feilai Temple means Guibading Temple in Tibetan. It has a legend that the temple was built by one Sakyamuni Buddha who came here from Tibet. The temple is also the place for Tibetans to pay homage to the sacred mountains.
Two columns twined by unpainted clay dragons and snakes standing in the temple. The lifelike dragons were carved in an architectural style of the Song-Yuan period. The roof is covered with small black tiles added during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) renovations.
In addition, in the front of the pool in Feilai Temple, there is a spring, which is said with satisfied efficacy for retaining youthful looks and keeping longevity by Chinese. It was believed to be the reason why most abbots of the temple lived long. Therefore, many visitors drink some spring water when they come to the temple and even take home some bottles of the water for their family.