Tōdai-ji
Tōdai-ji (東大寺 Todaiji temple, "Eastern Great Temple") is a temple complex in the city of Nara, Japan, that is one of the "seven great temples of the southern capital" (Nanto Shichi Daiji). The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE.
Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 Daibutsuden) houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as Daibutsu (大仏). The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.
The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites (including temples, shrines and places) in the city of Nara.
Further reading
Tōdai-ji, Wikipedia- Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, Wikipedia.
