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Date: 1992-2005 Type: Temple Status: Extant   Click to view map Coordinates: 25°49'29.29" S 28°44'00.18" E Alt: 1421m

Nan Hua Temple is the largest Buddhist temple and seminary in Africa, and is situated in the Cultura Park suburb of Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa. It is the African headquarters of the Fo Guang Shan (Buddha's Light Mountain) Order, covering over 600 acres (2.4 km2). Fo Guang Shan was established in 1967 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, and is a Mahayana Chinese Buddhism monastic order. The Temple, like its mother order in Taiwan, follows the Linji Chan school of Buddhism as well as the Pure Land School. Fo Guang Shan means "Buddha's Light Mountain" and refers to a Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order founded in Taiwan in 1967 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The order promotes humanistic buddhism and aims to make this philosophy and way of life relevant in the world. The popularity of this order has spread around the world and the magnificent Nan Hau Temple in Bronkhorstspruit - about an hour’s drive from Johannesburg along the N4 highway towards Witbank - is testament to this fact. The temple, with its seminary, is the largest in Africa. Land was donated to the Fo Guang Shan order by the Bronkhorstspruit City Council and building of the temple began in October 1992 at a cost of more than R60-million. (See also Wikipedia)