Eastern Mebon

East Meiben Temple is located to the east of Tongwang City. It is a Hindu temple in the center of Dongchi (Dongbalai Lake). It is like a miniature version of Bili Temple, with three steps and five pagodas arranged in the shape of plum blossoms. But now the East Pond has dried up, so the temple platform is particularly high. The East Pond, where the East Meiben Temple is located, was originally a huge reservoir, which was an important public construction project at that time. There are stone monuments at the four corners of the reservoir. It is said that the temple had to be reached by boat more than a thousand years ago, but with the passage of time, it has become a dry land. The water-soaked part of the monument is discolored, but one can still imagine the splendid scene where the temple once stood in the center of the lake. Play guide Dongmeiben, which is several meters above the ground, will give people the illusion of a temple mountain. There are five lotus towers above the three steps of red sandstone, surrounded by three layers of brick walls. There are a pair of stone lions on both sides of the arch at the entrance of the temple, and there are several corridors around the inner wall, and now only some broken walls remain. Climbing up the steep steps, there are four elephant sculptures of the same size as the real image at the four corners of the first and second steps, which originated from the ancient Indian myth of the four giant elephants supporting the universe. They are dressed in battle armor, finely carved and lifelike, but unfortunately some are already incomplete. Climb up to the top steps and observe the five lotus pagodas up close. Most of the tower was damaged, and most of the other buildings collapsed, leaving only the stone door frames and pillars barely supporting. On the east, west and south lintels of the central tower, you can see the beautifully carved patron saints, namely Indra, Brahma, and Yama. The other four towers also have beautiful lintel carvings, which are very ornamental. The brick tower is full of egg-sized holes. These holes may have been inlaid with gemstones, or to fix the plaster that originally covered the surface of the tower. Because of the age, the appearance of the bottom is exposed. .