Xiahuayan Temple (middle)

The main hall of Huayan Temple, the Boga Jiaozang Hall, is a relic of the Liao Dynasty, built in the seventh year of Liao Zhongxi (AD 1038). 'Boga' is an abbreviation for 'Bogafan', which is the Sanskrit name of the World Honored One, Shakyamuni. The Boga Jiaozang means a place for storage. The hall faces west and east, with a width of five rooms (25.6 meters) and a depth of four rooms (18.4 meters). The roof of the hall is a single-eave nine-ridge Xieshan style, using the traditional Chinese technique of combining wooden bones and brackets, which is simple and clear. The overall appearance is stable and light, it is a typical example of small-scale pavilion-style buildings from the Liao Dynasty that exist in China, and it is also an early example of the use of the 'column reduction method' in ancient Chinese architecture.