Mount Jiuhua, situated in the southwest
of Anhui province, is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China, with the
reputation of the "Busiest pilgrimage place in China" and the "number one mountain
in the Southeast". It attracts numerous domestic and foreign tourists to burn incense
and tender their worship all yeal round.
Mount Jiuhua has very beautiful natural scenery. There are 99 peaks, among which
the nine peaks of Heavenly Terrace, Lotus Glory, Heavenly Pillar, Ten Kings and
so on are the most magnificent. The main Peak of Ten Kings is 1,341 m above sea
level, and its summit is the highest point of Mount Jiuhua.
Mount Jiuhua is endowed with pleasant weather. Its numerous ancient temples integrate
naturally with the graceful landscape. It is reputed to be the "Buddhist country
of lotus" and the "Buddhist land of the immortals". There are 82 temples, such as
Huacheng Temple, Treasure Hall of Corporeal Body, One-Hundred-Year Palace, and over
6,800 Buddhist statues of various sizes. It is a sanctum for devotees to worship
and also a summer resort for tourist.
Huacheng Temple
Huacheng Temple is the main temple of Mount Juihua. In 781 AD, it was opened as
a place where Buddhist rites of the Earth Store Bodhisattva were performed. At that
time, the emperor granted a horizontal board bearing three Chinese characters: Hua
Cheng Temple. A large collection of rare Buddhist scriptures is housed in the temple
which are rare cultural relics of the country.
Precious Hall of Corporeal Body
It is said that the corporeal body of the Earth Store Bodhisattva is kept in this
hall, along with many precious Buddhist cultural relics.
One-Hundred-Year Palace
One-Hundred-Year Palace is also called Ten-Thousand-Year Temple. It was built for
enshrining the body of Zen Master Wuxia. It is said that Zen Master Wuxia was only
26 years old when he came to Mount Jiuhua to practice Buddhism. For many years he
lived on wild fruits and spring water. He was sitting cross-legged when he died
at the age of 126. His body was kept intact three years after he died. The real
body of Zen Master Wuxia is enshrined in the palace.
Do you know?
On Mount Jiuhua, there is an ancient phoenix pine tree that has lived for over1,400
years. It is a marvelous scene on Mount Jiuhua.
Reference data
In ancient times, Jin Qiaojue, an eminent monk from what is today's DPRK came to
Mount Jiuhua to pratice Buddhism. At the age of 99, he passed away, but his body
remained intact for three years. He was respected as the incarnation of the Earth
Store Bodhisattva. From then on, Mount Jiuhua became a place where Buddhist rites
of the Earth Store Bodhisattva were performed.
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