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The mountain stretches more than 200 kilometers from south to north.
Its main peak, Wanfo Top, is 3,099 meters above sea level. Since
ancient times Emei Mountain has been described as "Beauty Under
Heaven." Temples were built as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty
(24-220) and Buddhism was introduced to the mountain during the
Jin Dynasty. In the Ming and Qing dynasties there were more than
150 temples. A legend claims that the mountain was where Samantabhadra
gave lectures on Buddhism and most temples house a statue of Samantabhadra.
The main scenic spots on the mountain include the Baoguo Temple,
Wannian Temple, Fohu Temple, Qingyin Pavilion, Heilongjiang Tunnel,
Hongchun Platform, Xianfeng Temple (Jiulao Cave), Xixiang Pond and
Golden Summit. These places are at different altitudes and have
different climates. Temperatures at the top of mountain are 15 degrees
lower than at the foot. The mountain, which supports more than 3,000
varieties of plants and many animals is an important scenic area.
Baoguo Temple sits at the foot of the mountain at the entrance
and exit of the mountain area. The temple was built during the reign
of Ming Emperor Wanli (1573-1620). About 15 kilometers from the
Baoguo Temple is Wannian Temple, one of the main temples in the
mountain area. Wannian Temple, or the Temple of Samantabhadra as
it was known before the Ming Dynasty, was built during the reign
of Emperor Long'an of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (397-401). It has
no beams and houses a bronze statue of Buddha Samantabhadra mounted
on a six-toothed white elephant cast in 980, the fifth year of the
Northern Song Dynasty. The statue is 7.3 meters high and weighs
62 tons. Xianfeng Temple is situated at the foot of the Jiulao Peak
and the old halls were built with tin sheets and iron tiles. The
intact halls were rebuilt in 1779, the 44th year of the reign of
the Qing Emperor Qianhong. At the foot of Fohu Hill, Fohu Temple
is located one kilometer west of Baoguo Temple and is one of the
largest in the mountain area. It was rebuilt in 1651, the eighth
year of the reign of Qing Emperor Shunzhi. It covers an area of
13,000 square meters and is accessible from the highway. At the
Golden Summit, the Pinnacle of the mountain area 3,065 meters above
sea level, is Puguang hall or Temple. It was constructed during
the Eastern Han Dynasty and has been rebuilt several times after
being struck by lightning. The Golden Summit is an ideal place to
view the sunrise, the sea of clouds, the "Buddhist lights"
and "sacred Lamps." Emei Mountain is a well known natural
museum with more than 3,000 specimens of plants and 2,000 types
of animals including groups of monkeys that appear on the mountain
roads and fascinate the tourists.
The Giant Buddha on the east bank of Minjiang Rive in Leshan City,
Sichuan Province, rests his feet where three rivers the Minjiang,
Qingyi and Dadu-join. The Buddha faces Emei Mountain across the
river and at its back is the western slope of Lingyun Mountain.
Standing at 70.7 meters with shoulders 24 meters wide it is an impressive
sight. A water drainage system reduces erosion by rain and slows
weathering.
The statue was begun in 713, the first year of the reign of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong, and completed in 803, the 19th year of the reign
of the Tang Emperor Dezhong. To the right of the statue a plank
road with nine turns was built and it is now famous as the nine-turn
plank road; it goes from the bottom to the top.
Included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1996.
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