Overview of Zhongshan Grottoes
The Zhongshan Grottoes are a third batch national key cultural relic protection unit, located at the southern foot of Zhongshan in Anding Town, 15 km west of Zichang City, Shaanxi Province. They are also known as Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff, Puji Temple, Great Puji Chan Temple, Stone Palace Temple, etc. It is a AAA-level scenic area with an admission fee of 30 yuan. In 1986, a cultural relic management office was established. Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff was first built in the fourth year of Zhiping of the Northern Song Dynasty (1067 AD). According to historical records, there were originally 18 caves, but only five have been excavated, all of which are national first-class cultural relics. The entire grotto complex is built against the mountain, facing south, with a typical vertical axis layout. To the east lies the urban area of Zichang, to the south flows the Xiuyan Qingliu River, and to the west overlooks the ancient town of Anding. It was a necessary route on the northern line of the ancient Silk Road in China. The caves are arranged from west to east, with Cave No. 3 being the best preserved and designated as the main cave. Inside the cave, there are tens of thousands of Buddha statues of various sizes, hence the name Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff. Although the grotto is relatively small in scale, it is magnificent in spirit. The tens of thousands of statues are carved directly from local stone, lifelike and vivid, making it a sacred site for the religious and cultural life of people for hundreds of miles around. Chinese and foreign scholars believe that its historical and artistic value is no less than that of the Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes, and Dunhuang Mogao Caves. Experts have concluded that it is a 'unique historical existence' and 'the second Dunhuang', with extremely high historical, cultural, and artistic value. The well-preserved dozens of steles, tablets, and inscriptions not only provide strong evidence for the study of Zhongshan Grottoes but are also rare calligraphic works. Additionally, the mountain gate, Sanguan Tower, memorial archway, Xiaosi Temple, pagoda forest, and stone cliff tombs all bear witness to historical and cultural changes and have high research value. What is even more remarkable is that on this magical land, subtropical Bodhi trees and the internationally renowned medicinal herb Eucommia ulmoides trees grow naturally, along with the miraculous falling rock incidents, all of which are scientific mysteries worth exploring for tourists...
The memorial archway is the first sight of the grotto, also known as the Stone Palace Temple Archway. It was first built in the third year of Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1725 AD) and renovated in the fifty-third year of Qianlong (1788 AD). The archway is a four-pillar, three-bay, three-story structure, 7 meters high and 6 meters wide, assembled and connected from multiple stones using gravity and mortise and tenon joints, elegant and antique. The archway serves as both the facade and the signboard of the grotto, creating a sense of grandeur and endowing the temple with a serene, profound, and stable atmosphere, giving visitors the feeling of entering a sacred spiritual land. This form and expression reflect the evolution of religion and the profound cultural connotation of the grotto, with carved reliefs carrying specific era significance and cultural background.
The mountain gate was first built in the Song Dynasty and renovated in the twenty-sixth year of Zhiyuan of the Yuan Dynasty (1289 AD) and during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. The arched stone gate is made of stones known locally as 'face stones', which were used only in prestigious buildings. On the lintel are carved three large characters '石宫寺' (Stone Palace Temple). The mountain gate is also called the Three Gates, symbolizing the three gates of liberation: the gate of emptiness, the gate of signlessness, and the gate of wishlessness. Buddhist scriptures say: 'Through these three gates of liberation, one sees the world as nirvana.' In the eyes of Buddhists, it is the dividing line between the secular world and the Buddhist realm. Stepping through the mountain gate means entering the Buddhist domain, and violating Buddhist rules would result in severe punishment, even expulsion.
The Sanguan Tower is located above the mountain gate. It was rebuilt in the thirteenth year of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1832 AD) as an octagonal two-story double-eave structure. It was destroyed by war in 1947 and rebuilt on the original site in 2002, restoring its original appearance. The Sanguan Tower enshrines the Three Officials, also known as the Three Yuan Emperors, who are the 'Heavenly Official, Earthly Official, and Water Official' revered by Taoism, closely related to the historical fusion of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
The Colorful Gate, commonly known as the Second Gate, is built on the central axis leading up the mountain. The current structure was rebuilt on the original site in 1981. The Colorful Gate and the courtyard walls naturally divide the courtyard into two relatively independent upper and lower courtyards. This layout makes the temple have three connected courtyards, similar to the 'three-entry courtyard' of wealthy families. The staircase design within the courtyard is also quite deliberate. From the mountain gate to the main cave, there are 36 bluestone steps, symbolizing the 36 heavens. Each step up increases one's fortune. Therefore, devout pilgrims perform rituals of worship and incense offering in each courtyard. Beside the Colorful Gate stands a stele titled 'Newly Built Western Pure Land Stele', which, although severely damaged, still shows the inscription by Xue Wenzhou, a juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination) of the Ming Dynasty.
Cave No. 3, also known as Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff, was carved in the fourth year of Zhiping of the Northern Song Dynasty (1067 AD), nearly a thousand years ago. It is named after the three seal-script characters '万佛岩' (Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff) carved on the lintel of the central entrance. The exterior walls of the cave are carved with a Yuan Dynasty Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue, Ming Dynasty Wanli period donor figures, and a Qing Dynasty Daoguang period Guan Gong statue, reflecting the fusion of the three religions. Inside the cave, the walls are covered with ten thousand Buddhas, exquisitely carved, especially the paintings that have retained their bright colors for over a thousand years. On the main altar base are three groups of fourteen large three-dimensional round-carved statues. The main Buddha statues depict the different states of Shakyamuni and his great disciple Mahakashyapa and younger disciple Ananda in their cultivation, representing different stages of the Buddha's spiritual practice. The three main Buddha statues and eight stone pillars are all carved from the local rock, seamlessly integrated with the cave. On the altar base also stand Guanyin, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and flanking attendant bodhisattvas. On the east and west walls of the cave are niches each containing a Buddha and two disciples. At the top of the front wall are three different forms of Water-Moon Guanyin, also known as Self-Mastery Guanyin; on the lower part of both sides are sixteen Arhat statues 0.7 meters high, which are wonderfully interesting and masterfully crafted. The various furnishings inside the cave are very delicate; the lotus lamp stands and incense burners are excellent stone carving treasures. The entire grotto sculpture combines concise and refined techniques with rich and detailed methods, reaching the highest level and artistic achievement of Song Dynasty cave temples.
The Bodhi tree is originally a subtropical tree species. Legend says that Shakyamuni was born under a Bodhi tree and attained Buddhahood under a Bodhi tree, hence the saying 'the tree follows the Buddha.' The Eucommia ulmoides tree mainly grows in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and southern provinces, and its bark is a valuable medicinal herb. The Bodhi and Eucommia trees in the courtyard grew naturally, not planted artificially, adding a sacred aura to the grotto. The fact that they grow together also carries the symbolism of 'saving all beings.'
The Chan courtyard was both a quiet place for monks to meditate, realize the truth, and practice, as well as a place for daily living and dining. Its layout is a quadrangle style, consisting of four horizontal stone cave dwellings. The interior adopts the local characteristic cave dwelling structure, while the exterior has eaves. The main room is 10 meters long and 4 meters wide, serving as the abbot's residence and guest reception; the east and west wing rooms are each 6 meters long and 3 meters wide, serving as living quarters for the monks. The existence of the Chan courtyard reflects the temple's daily life, with the dynamic presence of monks, cooking smoke, elm and poplar trees, and cicadas contrasting with the static grotto statues. The late Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu wrote a poem titled 'At the Chan Courtyard': 'The wine boat once emptied in a single sweep, ten years of youth not wasted on me. Today, with temple hair by the meditation couch, tea smoke gently rises in the wind of falling flowers.' The poem contrasts sharply but speaks plainly, expressing a broad-minded sentiment and a serene state of mind, deeply containing the life insight that 'after the turbulent sea, one understands Buddhist truth,' offering positive inspiration to people.
Xiaosi Temple, due to its small scale, is commonly known as Small Temple. According to the 'Record of Rebuilding Xiaosi Temple' in the eighth year of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1828 AD): 'The monk Miaozhen moved here from Stone Palace Temple and repeatedly solicited funds for construction, finally achieving this scale in the eighth year of Qianlong (1743 AD).' Xiaosi Temple originally had a main hall, a central hall, and a mountain gate of three bays, a bell tower and a drum tower each, two meditation rooms, and a tea pavilion courtyard. Now only the main hall, central hall, and mountain gate remain; the rest have collapsed. The main hall contains three Qing Dynasty round-carved stone statues, the central one being Shakyamuni Buddha seated in lotus position in the teaching mudra, 2.30 meters tall, flanked by Manjushri and Samantabhadra bodhisattvas. Outside the main hall, to the right of the door, there is a small cave dwelling with terrifying decorations, enshrining the Face-Burning Great Master. The Face-Burning Great Master is a bodhisattva who saves hungry ghosts, an incarnation of Guanyin. In the central hall, on the altar base, there is a clay statue of Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva, flanked by ten stone statues of the Ten Kings of Hell, and murals of the Four Heavenly Kings. Its appearance greatly enriches the artistic expression forms of Zhongshan Grottoes and has high research value.
