Located at the foot of Mount Hua Ding, Taibai Mountain, in Wuxiang Town, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, King Ashoka Temple was first built in 282 AD (the third year of the Taikang era during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty). With a history spanning over 1,700 years, the temple was expanded twice in 425 AD and 435 AD during the Southern Dynasties, laying the foundation for its current scale. It was officially named "King Ashoka Temple" in 522 AD (the third year of the Putong era of the Liang Dynasty).

    Covering an area of 124,100 square meters with a construction area of 23,400 square meters, King Ashoka Temple was ranked as the second of the "Five Great Mountains and Ten Famous Monasteries of Chan Buddhism" in 424 AD during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is China’s only millennium-old temple named after the Indian Emperor Ashoka. The temple is globally renowned for housing the sacred relics of Sakyamuni and an exquisitely crafted relic pagoda. The Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen stayed here briefly during his eastward journey to Japan. In 1984, it was designated as a "National Key Buddhist Temple for Han Chinese Regions" by the State Council, and in 2006, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.