Mount Wutaishan in China
Rating: 7,8/10 (400 votes)  This mountain is one of the sacred mountains for Chinese Buddhism. It is located in the northern part of Shanxi province, at a distance of 250 kilometers south-west of Beijing. One of the peaks of this mountain - Beitaiding, is the highest peak in Northern China, its height is 3078 meters. Below are three more peaks: Zhongtai, Sitai, Dongtai and Nantai. According to legend, Buddha Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, was consecrated on this mountain. The first temple on this mountain began to be built during Emperor Ming Di, 58-75 AD. This ruler sent a messenger to India for Buddhist manuscripts. The next year after his return, this envoy founded a temple on this mountain. Later, from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, more than three hundred temples were built here. Most of them were later destroyed. Today, there are 47 temples in this area. They contain valuable relics, as well as masterpieces of Buddhist art: frescoes of the Tang era, painted sculptures, unique sutras and carved marble works of the Qing dynasty. The main symbol of this mountain is the Tayuansi monastery with its huge pagoda. This white building is shaped like a bottle and is 75 meters high. One legend says that the building came down here straight from heaven. According to another legend, the pagoda was built in the third century BC by King Ashoka, the patron saint and spread of Buddhism. In fact, the pagoda acquired its modern appearance only in 1407 AD during the reign of Yongle from the Ming dynasty. And the very first Buddhist monastery appeared here somewhere at the beginning of our era. For many hundreds of years, monks, writers, commoners and even emperors climbed the mountain to kneel. Even now, the mountain is known all over the world and is very popular both among believers and among ordinary tourists from all over the world. In 2009, Mount Wutaishan was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.   
We also recommend reading Huangshan Mountain in China Topic: Mount Wutaishan in China. |
