At the outpost of the Great Wall of China, at the external borders of the PRC, on the sheer cliffs, the "Hanging Monastery" of Xuankun-si was built. It is located 65 kilometers from Datong, one of the oldest cities in China.
From a distance, the temple resembles a bright cardboard house glued to the mountain. Below, along the narrow and short gorge Jinlong ("Golden Dragon"), now blocked off by a dam, the Hun River flows. From the monastery upwards along the steep cliff, a boardwalk was laid, hanging over the abyss.
Now it is removed, and earlier pilgrims could cross the once turbulent river along it. According to an ancient belief, it is believed that a dragon lives in this river, and a "hanging temple" was built to appease him. Like huge fans, sheer cliffs protect Xuankong-si from the scorching sun, winds, rains and floods.
View of the entrance to the monastery.
Due to its rocky location, the monastery was preserved in almost unchanged form after 1500 years. Xuankong-si was founded in 491 during the Northern Wei dynasty on the path of pilgrims from Datong, the capital of the empire, to Hengshan, the sacred mountain of Taoism. Xuankong-si consists of 40 halls and pavilions. Three sections, rising in series one above the other, are interconnected by wooden decks. The total length of the complex is 150 meters, the lowest mark is recorded at a height of 26 meters, and the highest is about 50 meters.
The main feature of the Xuankong-si monasteries is that all buildings are carved into the thickness of the rock and anchored with a system of wooden beams and supports. The beams are covered with tung oil, which prevents the wood from drying out and saves it from termites. The two upper sections are "hanging", the lower section rests on a brick foundation.
An entrance gate with two traditional drum towers is installed in front of it. The rock itself serves as the back wall of the premises, and deep rock niches are intended for images and statues of the Buddha. A hieroglyphic inscription is carved on the cliff: "Gong Shu Tian Qiao", praising the skill of the architect Gong Shunbang, who created the "Hanging Temple".
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On the territory of the monastery.
Xuankong-si monastery - an all-China pantheon
Xuankong-si is a vivid example of the mixing of cultures, it combines the three main religions of China - Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Initially, the monastery was called the Temple of the Intimate Emptiness: in Taoism, the hieroglyph "xuan" means "hidden", "hidden", "hidden", that is, that which opposes the external, visible nature of things. And the hieroglyph "kun" (the second part of the name XuanKong) in Buddhism symbolizes emptiness, which is understood as the source, the beginning of any phenomenon. Later, the temple was renamed the "Hanging Monastery", which corresponds to its location.
Each of the three sections of Xuankong Son has a sacred meaning. The lower section is dedicated to the triad of the gods of the Taoist pantheon ("san guan") - the rulers of Heaven, Earth and Water, who control the three elements and influence the fate of people. The heavenly dignitary bestows happiness, the ruler of the Earth forgives sins, and the water official prevents trouble. The middle, Buddhist section is called San Sheng, which means three times. In Chinese sculpture, a composition depicting three Buddhas is very popular: Shakyamuni, the legendary founder of Buddhism, Prabhutaratnu, one of the Buddhas of antiquity, and Maitreya, the coming Teacher of humanity.
The third, uppermost section, the so-called "San Jiao" ("Three teachings"), contains sculptural images of the spiritual leaders of three religions - the Taoist sage Lao Tzu, the founder of Confucianism Confucius and Gautama, who preached Buddhism. The numerology of the temple is simple: three sections give the number 9, which is formed by the sum of the digits of the sacred number of many religions "108". The excursion around the monastery is strictly regulated: the circular movement is carried out according to the signs, since the stairs are so narrow that it is sometimes difficult to get around the person walking towards.
Walking along the corridors and stopping at the railing of one of the pavilions, you can enjoy panoramic views of the mountains surrounding the temple.