Xiangyan temple in Xichuan

Xiangyan temple, also known as Xiangyan Changshou temple, is located in cangfang Town, 40 kilometers south of Xichuan County. Xiangyan temple has two original Buddhist temples, "one is surrounded by Baiyan mountains, and the other is beside Danshui at the foot of the mountain. Facing each other for 30 Li, it is commonly known as "Shangsi and Xiasi". Xiasi has been flooded by Danjiang Reservoir, and now only Shangsi is left. Shangsi is located 4 kilometers northwest of cangfang Town, surrounded by mountains in the south of Longshan mountain. 

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Xiangyan temple in Xichuan

Xichuan Xiangyan temple, also known as Changshou temple, Xiangyan Changshou temple and Xiantong Chan temple, is one of the four famous temples in the Central Plains. Xiangyan temple in Xichuan County is located in cangfang Town, 40 kilometers south of Xichuan County. It is adjacent to Longshan in the East, Hushan in the west, houling in the north and gongmianshan in the south. The whole terrain is lotus like, and the temple is in the middle.

Xiangyan temple in Xichuan was first built in the Tang Dynasty. There are two original Buddhist temples, "one is surrounded by Baiyan mountains, the other is beside Danshui at the foot of the mountain, facing each other for 30 Li, which is commonly known as Shangsi and Xiasi.". Xiasi has been flooded by Danjiang Reservoir, and now only Shangsi is left. Shangsi is located 4 kilometers northwest of cangfang town. Xiangyan temple in Xichuan is surrounded by mountains in the south of Longshan mountain.

Historical evolution

Xiangyan temple in Xichuan, formerly known as the "Great Tang Huizhong national master Daochang", once had hundreds of monks, known as "thousand hectares of Xiangyan".

According to the Ming Dynasty "Jiajing Nanyang Fu Zhi Xiao Zhu" records, "Xiangyan temple was built in the Tang Dynasty.". According to the stele of the resurgence of Xiangyan temple in Xichuan, Xiangyan temple in Xichuan is also known as "Xiangyan longevity Temple" because it is "the Daochang of Huizhong National Master of the Tang Dynasty, which bestows longevity on him. It is passed down by Xiangyan. When the national master enters the pagoda, the fragrance will last for a hundred Li and the moon will not disperse.". Since then, it has been abandoned and built again and again. Today, Shangsi is basically in the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty.

Related allusions

In the second year of Kaiyuan (714), a monk named ran Huyin and Shi Huizhong in Zhuji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province) traveled to dangzi Valley (now the site of Xiangyan Temple) in Baiya mountain, where he built a Buddhist temple and opened a Taoist temple for more than 40 years.

In the 14th year of Tianbao (755), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, at the invitation of Huizhong's "abstinence, proficient in Buddhism, can be called a generation of master", issued an imperial edict to take Huizhong to Longxing Temple in Chang'an. After the outbreak of an Shi rebellion, Huizhong returned here.

On the 16th of the first month of the second year of the Shang Yuan Dynasty (761), sun Chaojin took the imperial edict of Tang suzong to Baiya mountain to welcome Huizhong into Chang'an again.

In the second year of Dali (767), Zong enzhun Huizhong of Tang dynasty built a temple in dangzigu of baiyashan, his former Taoist practice center. In the eighth year of Dali (773), he granted Changshou Temple (the predecessor of Xiangyan Temple), which was set up by the state, a large number of Changsheng fields, a set of Buddhist scriptures and plaques of "Yongzhen mountains and rivers", and 49 unknown monks.

In 775, Huizhong passed away in Chang'an. He built a seamless Pagoda in Qingfengling of Baiya mountain for burial. When he entered the pagoda, it was named Xiangyan Temple because of its "exotic fragrance, lasting for a long time after the moon". Therefore, it was commonly known as "Xiangyan Changshou Temple" in the early Ming Dynasty.

In the fifth year of Kaicheng (840), in order to avoid the killing of Li Yan (emperor Wuzong of Tang Dynasty), Li Chen, the king of light, went to Xiangyan temple to shave.

In the second year of Huichang (842) and the third year of Huichang (843), Emperor Wuzong of Tang Dynasty sent people to besiege Xiangyan Temple twice.

In the sixth year of Huichang (846), Emperor Wuzong of Tang Dynasty died. The minister went to Xiangyan temple to welcome Li Chen back to Chang'an and ascended the throne, which was called Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty.

In the first year of Dazhong (847), Xuanzong rebuilt the moon watching Pavilion in Xiangyan temple, and later generations changed it into Xuanzong hall.

In the first year of Yongle (1403), abbot renshanyi led monks to repair Xiangyan temple. First, he built the gate hall house in the lower temple, and then he started to build the upper temple, but the Zen master died before half of the time.

In 1413, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty approved the construction of Xiangyan temple for Taixu Zen master while building "Taihe mountain palace" in Wudang. Nine years later, the temple was built, and the plaque in the temple was inscribed by Muxin, the emperor's son-in-law.

In the 23rd year of Chenghua (1487), Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty gave Xiangyan temple a new name of "Xiantong Chan Temple", and Ruyi was also given the title of Abbot of Xiangyan temple.

At the end of the summer in the 28th year of Wanli (1600), the rainstorm overflowed, the Danjiang River and the Xishui River surged at the same time, submerging the mountain gate, the drum tower, the palace and the house of Xiasi, and the four heavenly kings, Weituo and the eighteen Arhats' Buddha statues also disappeared.

In December 1644, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong led their troops through ligunqiao town in Xichuan, intending to besiege Xiangyang. The army was stationed in shunyangchuan. The monks of Xiangyan Temple fled when they saw the situation, and the temple was burned down by the volunteers.

In 1664, the third year of Kangxi (1664), Zen master dangshanyuan led monks to build three pillars in the main hall, one statue of Sakyamuni (three feet high) and one statue of Weituo (six feet high), which were carved with wood and gold.

Folklore

There is a 10 square meter spiritual treasure land in the Sutra building, commonly known as "disaster relief treasure land". No matter how it is dug, the square ground is automatically leveled and slightly higher than the ground.

According to legend, when Tang Xuanzong was taking refuge in Xiangyan temple, one night, a locust suddenly heard the call of "bandits robbing and driving". He quickly got out of bed and fled through the back door. Because he was in a hurry, he fell into this deep valley. When the bandits heard the call, they saw that the fog filled the sight. When the monks arrived, the bandits were scared and fled.

The eunuch found Xuanzong in this deep valley. Just as he was about to go down to help him, the crust suddenly lifted up slowly with Xuanzong on his support. The monks were so surprised that they knelt down to congratulate Xuanzong for his protection by the aura of the treasure land. Xuanzong immediately burned incense and worshipped Buddha, and granted this place the "aura treasure land". From then on, all the friends who come to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha and to visit and sightseeing will stop on the treasure land, close their eyes and pray for the best of luck and prosperity in the four seasons.

Main attractions

The whole Xiangyan temple in Xichuan is hidden in the dense mountains and forests, surrounded by green bamboo, ancient trees and springs, with beautiful mountains and waters, birds singing and flowers fragrant, and charming scenery. In the bamboo forest in the east of Xiangyan temple in Xichuan, there are two pure white marble towers, 15 meters high, 6 corners and 7 levels. They are exquisitely carved pavilions like buildings, which set off against the green bamboo and look like natural pictures. There are many places of interest inside and outside Xiangyan temple in Xichuan, such as pearl spring, shuangshidong, Longquan, Shuiliandong, waterfall (also known as "Baibu Chaoyang"), Huaguo Mountain, yibaidan Bayu, Yibai Yishi Yimiao, Yibu Sanyan well, Yibu sandaomen, etc. In 1986, Xiangyan temple was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit in Henan Province.

Double stone cave, 1000 meters away from the temple, on the cliff, there are two similar shaped stone caves with fine statues. Shuangshi cave was founded by Piyun yusou, a monk of Xiangyan temple, in 1119, the first year of Xuanhe. During the reign of Xuanhe, two monks, Rubi and Rulin, practiced Buddhism in this cave. Shuilian cave, the Yangdong mountain under the Shuangshi cave, has a mountain spring that flows down a cliff in several ways, making it a delicate stalactite, which is called shuilian cave. Sun Bin looks at the peach garden. From shuilian cave to Qinglong mountain, there is a cave on the hillside called Sun Bin cave. Outside the cave, there is a peach garden of hundreds of square meters. It is said that it was the "flat peach garden" that Sun Bin saw at that time. Every spring, hundreds of peach trees vie to blossom. This scene is called Sun Bin's peach garden.

There are 268 ancient trees in Xiangyan temple, including 102 varieties of cypress, Gleditsia sinensis, pine, crape myrtle, red sandalwood, Osmanthus fragrans, gingko, birch oak, etc. There were 36, 48, 44, 78 and 62 strains in Tang, song, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties respectively. There are some interesting tree names:

Beauty embraces the general tree: in the bamboo forest in the northeast corner of Xiangyan temple, there are two trees integrated into one. The trunk of the birch oak tree is tall and straight, and its trunk soars into the sky, like a general. Another tree has the reputation of "little beauty in the South" in tropical areas. This tree is tightly wrapped around the big tree, and there are layers of small hair roots like human hair outside the bark, which are tied in the bark to absorb the nutrition of the trunk tree "general", hugging and growing together.

Therefore, people call these two trees beauty hugging general. Millennium husband and wife tree: there are two Ginkgo trees with a history of more than 1300 years in Xiangyan temple. One is outside the mountain gate, and the other is in front of Weituo hall. The two trees are 40 meters apart. The roots of the two trees are connected underground, and the branches and leaves are connected in the air, just like a couple of husband trees with a thousand years of love. Tickle tree: the tree is a 300 year old crape myrtle tree, the tree stem is sensitive, like Mimosa, touching the branches will tremble.

tourist guide

admission ticket

Adult ticket: 60 yuan

transport line

transit

1. Nanyang to Songgang wharf by boat to cangfang town (about 105 km)

2. Nanyang to Shiqiao Wharf (about 110 km by boat)

3. 2:00 p.m. special bus from Nanyang bus station to warehouse

other

1. Nanyang to Songgang wharf by boat to cangfang town (about 105 km)

2. Nanyang to Shiqiao Wharf (about 110 km by boat)

3. Take a taxi or charter to Nanyang bus station or 2:00 p.m. to the warehouse

Address: Xiangyan temple, cangfang Township, Xichuan County, Nanyang city

Longitude: 111.47615

Latitude: 32.78502

Ticket information: 50 RMB

Chinese PinYin : Xi Chuan Xiang Yan Si