If you are visiting Hong Kong, one of the must see sites is the Po Lin Monastery. It is located in the scenic Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island. Initially referred to as Da Maopeng, this Buddhist temple is built by three monks and was named Po Lin Monastry only in 1924. Today it is undeniably one of the most well-known tourist attractions in Hong Kong and a renowned temple amongst Buddhists all over the world.
A key feature of the Monastery is the bronze bell that weighs close to 1,000 kilograms. It also has a number of other edifices that are important in their own right. Among them are the Halls by the names Banruo, Sutra-Collection, Maitreya, Weituo. There is also Ti-tsang Bodhisattva Hall, which houses a bronze statue of Ti-tsang Bodhisattva weighing around 200 kilograms. The Great hallway of Treasure referred to as Da Xiong Bao Dian, consists of three Buddhas namely; Sakyamuni, Dipamkarara and Maitreya.
Amongst the many things to see at this monastery, the cynosure sure is the 34-metre high Tian Tan Big Buddha, which was cast in China over a period of 12 long years. The statue that depicts meditating Sakyamuni Buddha is placed on a lotus pedestal on top of the Muyu Mountain. It was unveiled in December 1993 and there are about 200 steps to reach the platform where the statue is placed.
There is also a three-storied exhibition area that consists of the Sakyamuni Memorial Hall, the Fajie Hall and the Gongde Hall. The relic of Sakyamuni brought from Sri Lanka in 1992, a wooden book that contains details of a discussion of the sutras by 160 bodhisattvas and a statue of Ti-tsang Bodhisattva holding a cane are found in these three chambers respectively.
The bell in the exhibition area is rung 108 times every day and it is believed to contain power to cure 108 different maladies of humans.
The temple also organizes relic expositions that attract many Buddhists who make use of package tours arranged by a Hong Kong boutique hotel such as the Cosmo Hotel; which is rated as a leading 4 star hotel Hong Kong. These packages also include visits to Tai O Village and also the Cheung Sha Beach on Lantau Island.