25 Aug, 2009
Visiting Jiuhuashan, China’s Buddhist Holy Mountain in the South
Posted by: susie In: China travel| nature beauty ()
Overview:
Pronounced “jyo hwah shan”, meaning nine brilliant mountains in Mandarin, Jiuhuashan is the Buddhist holy mountain in the south. The other Buddhist holy mountains are
Wutai Shan (north)
Putuoshan (east)
Emei Shan (west)
The temples here are dedicated to Bodhisatva Kshitigarbha, guardian of the earth.
Location:
Jiuhuashan is located in Anhui province, a province just west of Shanghai. The Jiuhuashan range actually covers about 100 square km and 99 peaks, the tallest of which is 1341m.
History:
Originally revered by Taoists who first built temples in the third century, Jiuhuashan became a site for Buddhist devotees of the Bodhisatva Kshitigarbha, guardian of the earth, after a devout Korean Buddhist named Jin Qiaojue went there in the eighth century and lived as a hermit in a cave on one of the peaks. Inspiring the locals and officials alike by his devotion, after he attained nirvana, it was said that the mountain roared so he became revered as the Earth Buddha.
Jiuhuashan Today:
At its height, there were over 3,000 monks and nuns living and worshipping at Jiuhuashan. It has functioned as a religious center for hundreds of years and today is still very active. Each year hundreds of pilgrims visit the temples and monasteries especially on the anniversary of the Bodhisatva Kshitigarbha’s birthday, also the day of Jin Qiaojue’s nirvana reach, the 30th day of the 7th Lunar month (falling sometime in August or September).
Features & Attractions:
Start at Jiuhua village and make your way along mountain paths and explore 70 Buddhist temples and monasteries that dot the mountains.
Hike along trails that take you by serene stone temples dating from the .
For non-hikers, take a cable car from the valley to Tiantai Zheng peak at 1341m or hire porters to carry you up.
Getting There:
Jiuhuashan is still relatively out of the way so expect to use a whole day getting there. The fastest way to get there is to take the train from Shanghai to Nanjing (2-4 hours depending on train type). Transfer to the Hanfu Jie bus station and take the bus directly to Jiuhuashan (4-7 hours depending on roads and traffic).
Staying There:
Staying There
There are many hotels and hostels in the village of Jiuhuashan. If you want to hike and stay along the way, arrangements can be made at monasteries (go and inquire) as well as small inns along the way.
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