Putuo Mountain
By admin on 2015-01-07

Putuo Mountain (pǔ tuó shān 普陀山) is a small island in Zhoushan Islands (zhōu shān qún dǎo 舟山群岛). It is located in Putuo District (pǔ tuó qū 普陀区), Zhoushan City (zhōu shān shì 舟山市), Zhejiang Province (zhè jiāng shěng 浙江省). The island covers an area of 12.5 kilometers. It is one of the Four Famous Buddhist Mountains in China (fó jiāo sì dà míng shān 佛教四大名山). The other three are Wutai Mountain (wǔ tái shān 五台山), Emei Mountain (é méi shān 峨眉山), Jiuhua Mountain (jiǔ huá shān 九华山). Putuo Mountain was regarded as the Buddhist Sanctuary (fó jiāo shèng dì 佛教圣地) and the Wonderland of the South Sea (nán hǎi shèng jìng 南海胜境). It was listed as the first batch state-level key scenic area.

Putuo Mountain is the world famous place to enshrine Kwan-yin and the famous Buddhism Holy Land. The religious activity of Putuo Mountain was originated from Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝). The spring up of the Maritime Silk Road (hǎi shàng sī chóu zhī lù 海上丝绸之路) in Tang Dynasty promoted the formation of Kwan-yin Dojo (guān yīn dào chǎng 观音道场). And it was soon became the Buddhism center. In the late Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝), the mountain had three big temples, 88 zen temples, 128 ahahedsheds and thousands of monks. When religious activities were held, lots of people would come here to worship. For thousand years, the faith of Kwan-yin had been the faith of half Asia.

Putuo Mountain Scenic Area (pǔ tuó shān fēng jǐng qū 普陀山风景区) consists Putuo Mountain, Luojia Mountain (luò jiā shān 洛迦山), Zhujiajian Island (zhū jiā jiān dǎo 朱家尖岛). It covers a total area of 41.95 square kilometers. The highest peak, Foding Mountain (fó dǐng shān 佛顶山), is about 300 meters above sea level. The famous scenic spots in the mountain include Chaoyin Cave (cháo yīn dòng 潮音洞), Fanyin Cave (fàn yīn dòng 梵音洞), Chaoyang Cave (cháo yáng dòng 朝阳洞), Pantuo Rock (pán tuó shí 磐陀石), Two Tortoise Listening to the Doctrine Rock (èr guī tīng fǎ shí 二龟听法石), Hundred Pace Beach (bǎi bù shā 百步沙), Thousand Pace Beach (qiān bù shā 千步沙), South Sea Kwan-yin (nán hǎi guān yīn 南海观音), Dacheng Hut (dà chéng ān 大乘庵) and so on.

Among the temples in Putuo Mountain, Puji Temple (pǔ jì sì 普济寺), Fayu Temple (fǎ yǔ sì 法雨寺), and Huiji Temple (huì jì sì 慧济寺) are the three largest. Puji Temple was first built in Song Dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝) with an area of 26,000 square meters. According to records, its predecessor is Unwilling-to-go Kwan-yin Temple (bú kěn qù guān yīn yuàn 不肯去观音院). Fayu Temple was built in Ming Dynasty (míng cháo 明朝). It was 2.8 kilometers away from Puji Temple. Fayu Temple is famous for its ancient architecture, delicate wood carvings and inscribed calligraphy by ancient emperors. Huiji Temple is located on the peak of Foding Mountain. Here, you can command a excellent view of the rising sun in the morning. Also this is the only temple that enshrines Buddha but not Kwan-yin Statue in the Main Hall.

The famous twelve sceneries in Putuo Mountain are Lian Yang Wu Du (lián yáng wǔ dù 莲洋午渡), Duan Gu Sheng Ji (duǎn gū shèng jì 短姑圣迹), Mei Wan Chun Xiao (méi wān chūn xiǎo 梅湾春晓), Pan Tuo Xi Zhao (pán tuó xī zhào 磐陀夕照), Lian Chi Ye Yue (lián chí yè yuè 莲池夜月), Fa Hua Ling Cave (fǎ huá líng dòng 法华灵洞), Ancient Cave and the Tide (gǔ dòng cháo shēng 古洞潮声), Zhao Yang Yong Ri (cháo yáng yǒng rì 朝阳涌日), Thousand Pace Golden Beach (qiān bù jīn shā 千步金沙), Guang Xi Xue Ji (guāng xī xuě jì 光熙雪霁), Cha Shan Su Wu (chá shān sù wù 茶山夙雾) and Tian Men Qing Fan (tiān mén qīng fàn 天门清梵).