also: みやでら · みやてら
noun
Buddhist temple within a Shinto shrine
Refers to a temple building or complex located on the grounds of a Shinto shrine, reflecting the historical syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism (shinbutsu shūgō).
この神社の境内には、かつて宮寺があった。
There used to be a Buddhist temple within the grounds of this shrine.
宮寺は神仏習合の名残として今も残っている。
The temple within the shrine remains today as a vestige of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.
Rare alternate reading.
Compound of 宮 (shrine) and 寺 (temple), reflecting the historical integration of Buddhist temples within Shinto shrine precincts.