Overview
Chinese Name: 九华山, 陵阳山, 九子山
English Name: Mount Jiuhua , Jiuhua Mountains, Jiuhuashan
Location: Chizhou City, Anhui Province
Type: Natural and human landscape
Rating Level: AAAAA (5A)
Brief Introduction
Mount Jiuhua 九华山, known as Lingyang Mountain 陵阳山and Jiuzi Mountain九子山 in ancient times, is one of the “Four Famous Mountains of Chinese Buddhism中国佛教四大名山“. It is located in Qingyang County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province安徽省.
It is known as “the first mountain in the southeast东南第一山”. It was renamed “Mount Jiuhua ” because of Li Bai’s 李白poem “Looking at Jiuhua for Qingyang Wei Zhongkan《望九华赠青阳韦仲堪》” in the Tang Dynasty: “In the past, on Jiujiang, looking at Jiuhua Peak. According to legend, it is a dojo for the transformation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The Buddha believes that Ksitigarbha is a Bodhisattva of “great filial piety” and “great vow”.
From the foot of Mount Jiuhua to Tiantai Peak, there are many famous temples and ancient temples. There are many cultural relics and historical sites. There are still 78 ancient temples古刹 such as Huacheng Temple化城寺, Yueshen Hall月身宝殿, Huiju Temple慧居寺 and Baisui Palace百岁宫. There are more than 1,500 Buddha statues佛像. There are more than 1,300 cultural relics such as imperial decrees圣旨, Tibetan scriptures藏经and other jade seals玉印 and instruments法器.
In 2006, the Mount Jiuhua Scenic Area with Mount Jiuhua as the main body was rated as a national key scenic spot. In 2007, the Jiuhua Mountain Scenic Area was rated as a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. In 2009, Mount Jiuhua was named a National Geopark. On April 17, 2019, UNESCO issued an announcement approving Mount Jiuhua as a Global Geopark世界地质公园.
What is worth to visit and see？
Main Attractions
- Zhenshen 真身宝殿
Zhenshen 真身宝殿Treasure Hall, commonly known as “Flesh Body Temple肉身殿”, also known as “Flesh Body Pagoda肉身塔”, is located on the Shenguang Ridge 神光岭 in Jiuhua Mountain. It is the main place for Buddhists to visit Jiuhua Holy Land. Bodhisattva is different from ordinary Buddhist temples.
The Flesh Hall of Mount Jiuhua is a typical palace building with a height of 15 meters and the door facing southwest. To enter the hall, you must climb eighty-one steps, stand under the steps, look up, and you can see two plaques on the south entrance hall: the upper inscription “Flesh Body Treasure Hall肉身宝殿”, and the lower inscription “Southeast First Mountain东南第一山”.
Above the corridors around the hall are carved beams and painted buildings, rare birds and animals such as cranes and elk, peony, ganoderma lucidum灵芝 and other flowers and herbs鲜花奇草.
2. Ten Kings Peak 十王峰
Ten Kings Peak is located on the south side of Tiantai Peak天台峰 of Jiuhua Mountain. The two peaks are connected by a ridge, with an altitude of 1342 meters. It is the first peak of Jiuhua Mountain. The Ten Kings Peak has a magnificent and beautiful landscape, with peaks competing against each other, strange peaks in the mountains, strange rocks, gushing springs and waterfalls, and gurgling streams.
On the east and west sides of the peak, there are cascading cliffs. In the southwest, there is the “Baoyu Peak钵盂峰”, with an altitude of 1143 meters, which is very similar to the monk’s bowl; in the northwest, there is “Luohan Peak罗汉峰”, with an altitude of 1280 meters; “Yanxiantai” is located in the west of Shiwang Peak.
3. Hall of Great Compassion 大悲宝殿
The Treasure Hall of Great Compassion is a new hall expanded by Zhan Tanglin旃檀林 after rebuilding the mountain gate in 1988. This temple was built by the monk Huishen, who was presided over by Zhan Tanglin. The whole project is designed in an antique and elegant, majestic and magnificent. The main building is as high as six feet and three feet.
The whole project covers an area of more than 3,000 square meters and is a dojo dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva千眼观世音菩萨. Jiuhuashan Buddhist Association is located in this temple, which is one of the places for large-scale Buddhist activities.
4. Centennial Palace 百岁宫
The Centennial Palace was built in the Ming Dynasty. The Centennial Palace was originally named “Zhaixing Temple摘星庵”, also known as “Wannian Temple万年禅寺”. Along with Gion Temple, Dongya Temple and Ganlu Temple, it is the “Four Forests四大丛林” of Mount Jiuhua. The Centennial Palace is also the second body hall in Jiuhua Mountain.
The buildings of the Centennial Palace are built according to the mountain, connected from top to bottom and from left to right, forming a whole. The main buildings are the mountain gate山门, the Daxiong Hall大雄宝殿, the Zhaitang斋堂 and the dormitory寮房, etc. There are flawless flesh statues in the main hall. In 1983, the monastery was designated as a national key monastery in the Han area.
Culture heritage.
- Bayeux 贝叶经
The ancient Indian Buddhists made of Bedoro leaves贝多罗树叶, thick as copper coins, and carved scriptures on the leaves with knives. It has a history of more than 1,000 years.
2. Blood Meridian 血经
Haiyu, an eminent monk in the Ming Dynasty, with flawless words, spent 28 years researching the book “Dafang Guangfo Huayan Sutra《大方广佛华严经》” with his tongue and blood, including “The Classic of Blood” and “The Classic of Blood of the Ming Dynasty《明代血经》”.
In the third year of Chongzhen (1630 AD), Ming Sizong Zhu You sent a pilgrimage to make a pilgrimage to monk Wuxia, who was enshrined in gold as a “Yingshen Bodhisattva应身菩萨”. This “Blood Sutra” was immediately protected by the monks as a treasure and treasured even more. On February 1, 1988, it was identified as a first-class collection by experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Exploring Buddhist College at Mount Jiuhua, sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism
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