The Temple was built in the Tianjian period of the Liang dynasty (502-557) and was called Miaolita Yuan (Miaolita Temple).During the Tang dynasty, a famous monk was in charge of the temple (618-907). The temple was thereafter named after him.
The temple is one of the ten most famous temples in China. The poem of "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge" by Zhang Ji, a famous poet of the Tang dynasty, is loved in China, its poetic rhyme and bell-tolling sounds are still celebrated.