Buddhist Temple in Amsterdam

The Fo Guang Shan He Hwa Temple in Amsterdam Chinatown is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe and built in traditional Chinese style. This Buddhist Temple is locally known as the Zeedijk Tempel. Zeedijk is the name of the street where you can find this temple. The temple’s main activity is religious. Still, the temple also fulfils a cultural function for the Chinese community in Amsterdam and welcomes visitors.The smell of incense wafts towards visitors. A shining statue of Guan Yin sits on an altar flanked by smaller statues of other Chinese deities. A row of candles burns on a low shelf in front of the shrine. Two pagodas with illuminated niches containing hundreds of miniature Buddha statues stand next to Guan Yin. The repetition of the images symbolizes Buddha’s omnipresence. Plaques with reliefs of Guan Yin and the names of the donors who enabled the construction of the temple cover the walls.