Niushou Mountain: A Multi-Sensory Experience – The Indescribable Usnisa Palace

Travel date: March 2021

Travel mode: self-drive

Address: Niushou Mountain Scenic Area, Nanjing

Admission: 98 yuan

Walking route within the park: East Gate – Foding Front Garden – Foding Temple – Ming Dynasty Cliff Carvings – Niutou Zen Culture Garden – Usnisa Pagoda – Usnisa Palace – Wuyoumen Square – Foding Front Garden – East Gate

Coming down from Usnisa Pagoda, I headed straight for the mysterious Usnisa Palace. The main building of Usnisa Palace is resplendent in gold and jade-like colors, divided into a large dome and a small dome. The small dome features the sacred symbolism of a 'lotus holding a treasure,' with an overall design of a giant lotus throne supporting a Mani-shaped usnisa topknot, each resembling hands clasped in prayer. The large dome is shaped like the Buddha's kasaya gently draping over the small dome.

The base of the small dome takes the form of a lotus throne, composed of apsara Bodhi doors and 56 cloud pillars symbolizing good fortune and prosperity.

The main building is surrounded by a water feature, whose reflections create a lively, romantic effect. This water feature has turned Usnisa Palace into a popular photo spot on social media.

Standing before Usnisa Palace, my earlier eagerness subsided; instead, I was not in a rush to go inside. I took a leisurely stroll around the perimeter of the main building. Usnisa Palace is a sacred Buddhist site, and Buddhist culture is evident in every detail. Yet it also exudes a strong Western architectural flavor.

A long covered corridor runs around the exterior of the palace. Walking along this European-style colonnade, I was immersed in Buddhist culture. On one side were continuous arched doorways, on the other, murals and reliefs depicting Buddhist themes. Above, a deep bronze ceiling featured a white lotus lamp at its center. This blend of Chinese and Western elements had a unique charm. The corridor is perfect for taking photos, giving an illusion of being in an old European building – too bad I didn't bring a photographer along today, haha!

Western marble arches and columns, paired with carvings of Dunhuang flying apsaras, were simply beautiful.

Looking through an archway, I could see the Hongjue Temple Pagoda on the eastern peak, a thousand-year-old pagoda that still stands majestic after centuries, full of ancient charm.

Stepping out of the archway, the same pagoda presented a different charm.

The mountain slope on the east peak side

Stairs spiraled up the mountain, and there were also some newly carved grottoes.

I walked to the back of Usnisa Palace.

I stood beneath the 'Buddha's Kasaya' and savored the moment.

After carefully observing its exterior, I finally entered. The main building of Usnisa Palace has nine floors—three above ground and six underground—comprising the Zen Grand View on the ground level and the underground palace below.

In the Zen Grand View, I was stunned by everything before my eyes. The vast space and fantastical scenes made me wonder where I actually was.

The soaring space and exquisite dome overhead were breathtaking. Looking up, the mysterious firmament seemed close enough to touch, with twinkling stars seemingly within reach—a perfect unity of heaven and man, a mystical and magical Buddhist realm.

The Zen Grand View's interior is a vast oval-shaped arch space, with yellow, white, and gray as the dominant color tones, creating a landscape of earth and water. The ceiling is a sal tree dome, patterned with sal tree branches. The dome uses a full-coverage translucent membrane and lighting to produce a hazy, fresh lighting effect.

At the center, beneath the circular dome and above a lotus pedestal, is the core of the Zen Grand View: a reclining statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. The reclining Buddha is graceful and serene, the white marble conveying a sense of tranquility and nirvana.

The focus of the Zen Grand View is Zen culture, divided into three parts: the Zen Garden of the Buddha's birth, the Zen Garden of his enlightenment, and the central Lotus Theater, together telling the story of the Buddha's life.

On the surrounding walls, niches held Buddha statues of various sizes.

On the north and south sides of the theater are two Zen gardens. The southern garden symbolizes the Buddha's birth, shaped like a lotus flower with an ever-flourishing Ashoka tree at its center.

The northern garden represents the Buddha's enlightenment, with a never-withering bodhi tree at its center, and black and white gravel on the ground symbolizing worldly chaos and the purity of Buddha's light.

Large mural sculptures—wood carvings, stone carvings, bronze carvings, lacquer paintings—three-dimensional and exquisite, each depicting a Buddhist story.

With the visual impact of Zen Grand View still fresh, I headed to the underground palace. Niushou Mountain's underground palace is a name that resounds like thunder; only today did I learn that 'underground palace' is just a colloquial name. Because it's an underground space beneath the Thousand Buddha Summit, people have nicknamed it the underground palace. After arriving, I learned its official designation: the Thousand Buddha Hall and the Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor. In the corridor, there was a spot distributing shoe covers; after putting them on, we could enter the more mysterious space.

Taking the elevator down floor by floor. The vertical elevator shaft featured auspicious cloud patterns on the escalator sides. Descending slowly in the elevator carved with auspicious clouds, moving deeper and deeper, with the lighting on both sides, it felt like being among the stars.

Standing there and looking up, I felt as if I had become a shooting star streaking across the night sky. Actually, my insignificant self, with a brief life, is just like a shooting star—having even a flicker of light is already brilliant.

I went straight down to the fifth basement floor—the Buddha Hall level. The sixth floor, the Buddha Relic Level, is where the authentic sarira of the Buddha is enshrined and is usually not open to the public.

The luxury and refinement here amazed me.

Everywhere was bathed in the light of the Buddha.

Passing through gateway after gateway...

The little girl's eyes were filled with devotion. In such an atmosphere, one naturally develops a sense of Zen.

Beyond the exquisite beauty and luxury, every design here likely has a Buddhist significance and origin. It's a pity that my own knowledge is shallow; I can only marvel at the external elegance, superb craftsmanship, and overall opulence without being able to grasp the deeper meaning.

The beautifully painted ceilings must also hold meaning, right?

Passing through the many Buddha statues of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, I entered the Thousand Buddha Hall. If the Zen Grand View gave me an unexpected delight, then this place can only be described as shocking. I was stunned, almost gaping, as if I had stepped into another world, moving between reality and illusion. I was in a mysterious, sublime Buddhist realm.

The Thousand Buddha Hall, with its dominant colors of red, yellow, and dark gold, has a domed shape. On the ceiling, four Buddhist realm paintings merge seamlessly into a backdrop of boundless Buddha light. The hall's overall plan is elliptical, spanning the first, second, and third basement levels. At the center of the Thousand Buddha Hall is the most eye-catching feature—the sacred stupa housing the Buddha's usnisa bone relic. The stupa is 21.8 meters tall, its design based on the gilded Seven-Treasure Ashoka Stupa from the Grand Bao'en Temple, and also inspired by the inverted Sumeru-shaped central pillar in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, symbolizing the pure and solemn Flower-Adorned World. Around the relic stupa are four jade Buddha statues, each 1.2 meters high. The hall is filled with the stupa, golden Buddha ceiling, and densely packed Buddhist niches—it's like a treasure trove! Countless Buddha statues, large and small, with hands clasped in prayer, smiling with raised brows, serene expressions, or plump, dignified postures. In every corner of the hall, there are Buddhas and bodhisattvas; no matter where you look—straight ahead, upward, or casually turning around—you will see one of them.

The stupa is exquisitely crafted; its body is forged from tin bronze and gilded on the surface. Inside, decorations employ dozens of traditional techniques, including sculpture, chasing, cloisonné, crystal, colored glaze, and gem inlay, combined with modern technologies like laser projection, blending Buddhist philosophy with art.

The stupa consists of three parts: the spire, the body, and the base. The spire's core is a crystal Mani jewel. Below the jewel is a garuda bird with a jewel on its head and a garland in its beak. The body is divided into an upper and lower part: the upper section is an inverted cone with thirteen rings; the lower part is a cloisonné inverted bowl. The base also has two sections: the upper section is an octagonal hall carved with auspicious Buddhist patterns, and bronze statues of the Four Heavenly Kings stand at its four corners. Beneath it is a circular lotus pedestal made of 84 lotus petals.

An inscription explained the 'Record of Various Sacred Relics': According to scriptures, 2,500 years ago after Sakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana, he left behind different types of authentic relics such as tooth, finger, and usnisa bone relics. These remains were regarded as sacred by devotees, who vied to worship them, with the usnisa bone relic being the most precious.

In the Thousand Buddha Hall, I could no longer feel my heartbeat—I was overwhelmed with awe. What words could describe everything here? Superb craftsmanship, breathtaking beauty, solemnity and mystery, ultimate luxury, the omnipresent light of Buddha... Not a single word or phrase can capture it. Language is hollow and vain; I'd better just hold my breath!

Around the perimeter of the Thousand Buddha Hall, against the walls, are eight lotus-petal-shaped shrines, each housing a different style of pagoda, known as the 'Eight Great Spirit Pagodas.'

The spaces between the shrines display various treasures.

Around the perimeter of the Thousand Buddha Hall is a circular corridor—the Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor. This corridor spans the three underground floors. The entire passage is divided into 12 sections, separated by carved wooden moon beams and floor-to-ceiling screens. Each floor features walls with countless Buddha niches and different murals, arranged according to the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, each paired with eight corresponding guardian Buddhas.

Each section mimics the scene of the Dunhuang Thousand Buddha Caves, with densely packed small Buddha statues—hence the name Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor. The patron Buddha for each zodiac sign is placed on different walls, and between them are lacquer paintings of Indian Buddhist stories and gem paintings of the Twenty Devas. The murals are rich in content and moving in plot, masterfully combining Buddhist Zen culture with art, giving us a visual feast along with inspiration and enlightenment for life.

In the wood carving decorations of the Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor, various moon beams are everywhere. These dragon-shaped beams show dragon heads with mouths open and closed, carved with cloud patterns behind them, as if the dragons are soaring through the clouds, imparting a sense of mystery where you see the dragon's head but not its tail.

Looking up, the roof is adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, of superb craftsmanship. The statues inlaid in the walls are delicate and exquisite, of ravishing beauty.

Every decorative element is meticulously crafted. Every detail is perfected.

Some details are intricate, some are simple.

Step by step, the beauty felt increasingly unfathomable; examining closely, every inch reflected the extraordinary skill of the artisans.

Going up, we reached the Buddha Ritual Floor.

The Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor on this floor continued to display various Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Forgive my ignorance—I really can't distinguish or name them, so I could only appreciate them by their materials and expressions. In such an atmosphere, one feels a deep reverence. Actually, beyond the feeling evoked by the ambiance, I was also stunned by the grand scale and the pervasive opulence and luxury.

The bodhisattvas were made from a variety of materials, including Shiwan ceramics, wood carvings, Dehua white porcelain, colored porcelain, fused gold and silver, crystal, and colored glaze.

The 'treasure of the floor'—the Four Embracing Bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas are adorned with precious gems like gold, silver, colored glaze, glass, red pearls, and agate, vivid and radiant, with brilliant colors, truly of national treasure caliber.

Even more delightful was that the observation deck on this floor connected to the Grand Relic Hall, allowing a clearer view of the overall structure. In fact, the Thousand Buddha Hall runs through three underground floors, and the Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor is a layered circular gallery surrounding it, so from the Ten Thousand Buddha Corridor on the 4th basement floor, you get this perspective of the Thousand Buddha Hall.

Basement 3 – the Buddha Gatha Floor

The Buddha Gatha Floor gathers and displays many artistic works for visitors to appreciate, mainly featuring the Eight Great Bodhisattvas of Esoteric Buddhism, the Four Great Bodhisattvas, the Four Sacred Mountains, small Zen stories, and scripture verses.

On this floor, there is a cinema.

This space has rows of bookshelves where you can browse books, and seating areas for relaxation.

I entered the cinema and watched the looping video about Niushou Mountain's Thousand Buddha Palace. Honestly, as a layman just enjoying the spectacle, I was already amazed by the exquisiteness, luxury, and architecture itself. Watching the video, I learned about the history, the whole story behind it, and its significance in Buddhist culture. If you come to Niushou Mountain, be sure to watch this film patiently.

Various crafts combined with Buddhist culture.

An exhibition of 'Original Fine Art from Niushou Mountain' was on display.

The exhibition hall's arrangement was filled with Zen atmosphere.

Calligraphy works praising the scenic beauty of Niushou Mountain.

This piece, 'Zen Temple Sounds,' depicts the autumn scenery of Niushou.

An ink painting titled 'Celestial Gate Buddha Light' portrays the spring scenery.

'New Aspect of Niushou' depicts the summer landscape.

Basement 2 – the Buddha Assembly Floor was currently closed.

Back on the ground, there was a bright feeling of seeing the world again; the mountains and trees before me were so real.

Along the corridor near the exit, shops lined up, each quite distinctive, offering various creative cultural products.

Zen culture was everywhere.

Looking up at this 'kasaya,' with its natural curved lines.

To one side of Usnisa Palace, under the large dome, is a cliff-face area called 'Usnisa Cliff · Manjusri Sacred Mountain'.

The cliff is divided into two levels: the upper level, modeled after the grottoes of northern China, features thirteen grottoes carved into natural boulders; the lower level consists mainly of bas-reliefs and scripture carvings. Together, the two levels form a giant Buddha's hand, solemn and sublime.

Niushou Mountain's underground palace is one-of-a-kind, probably unparalleled in the world. I couldn't bear to leave right away, so I walked around it again front and back, also waiting to regroup with my companions.

My friends' impressions were similar to mine. We had long heard of Niushou Mountain's underground palace, but seeing it still left us in awe. The old saying 'Spring at Niushou, autumn at Qixia' is far too one-sided. Niushou Mountain is not only about spring; it offers culture, craftsmanship, science and technology, art, Buddhism... What amazed me even more was the concept of building an underground palace six stories deep. A friend traveling with us gave a detailed explanation: Niushou Mountain was originally an iron mine, and her father had worked there in his lifetime. She was too young at the time to remember much, but her brother grew up playing around here. The mining had created a pit over 60 meters deep. Niushou Mountain Park used this abandoned iron mine to construct this underground palace. Suddenly it all made sense—everything has its cause and effect.

A few of us chatted as we reluctantly left Usnisa Palace, taking the outdoor escalator down to Wuyoumen Square.

Above Wuyoumen Gate looms Usnisa Pagoda.

Inside Wuyoumen Gate, a mural depicts the birth of Prince Siddhartha under an ashoka tree, with the prince pointing to the sky with his right hand and to the earth with his left.

The gate to the Usnisa Sacred Area.

Minibuses carried visitors downhill; they, too, must be leaving with gains, satisfaction, and the thought of returning.

The towering, majestic Usnisa Palace, the sky-piercing Usnisa Pagoda, the tranquil and secluded Hongjue Temple Pagoda, the serene Foding Temple, and the Niutou Zen Culture Garden brimming with natural Zen charm—together they present a multi-sensory Niushou Mountain. Every path, palace, pagoda, and leaf here is a masterpiece of craftsmanship! Niushou Mountain far exceeded my expectations; I left with excitement, awe, and a deep sense of fulfillment. I want to tell everyone I know: This place is worth visiting!