Yunya Temple

Yunya temple is one of the best protected natural scenic spots in China. It is a treasure.

Yunya Temple

About 30 kilometers from the east of Zhuanglang County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, we are close to the hinterland of yunya Temple: the mountains are wonderful, the trees are lush, the water is clear, and the ancient temple is long.

It is hard to imagine that Zhuanglang, who is famous for his poverty, has such a beautiful place to go, which shows the fairness of creation.

On the way to yunya temple for an interview, Li shunmin, the leader of the reporting group of the Propaganda Department of Zhuanglang County Party committee, said philosophically, "there are scenic spots and historic sites all over the country, but often the places with scenic spots have no connotation, and there are few scenic spots where there are historic sites. Yunya temple is a place where scenery and connotation are integrated. It's worth visiting. "

Now, the road up the mountain has a new access road built along the old road, which extends up from the foot of the mountain. Although it is narrow, it is not steep, so it is much more convenient to visit.

Basic introduction

Since the late Northern Wei Dynasty, there has never been a lack of pious pilgrims on this narrow road for more than a thousand years: they either put on clothes or wore belts. Everyone went up the mountain with hope and went home with peace of mind. The changes of dynasties, ups and downs outside the mountain are all buried in the long morning bell and evening drum.

Yunya scenic spot

Yunya temple is located in the southeast of Handian Township, Zhuanglang County, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, 28 kilometers away from Zhuanglang County. Because of its numerous grottoes and beautiful scenery, the temple is as famous as Pingliang Kongtong mountain, Tianshui Maiji Mountain, Xianren cliff and other scenic spots, and is listed as a National Forest Park and a national cultural relic protection unit. Yunya temple is located at the peak, which was called the main mountain in ancient times. According to the records of the Qing Dynasty in Jiaqing's revision of Yitong Zhi, "it is famous for its high mountains, among which the peaks and mountains circle and the streams linger." With yunya temple as the center, within a radius of less than 5 km, there are eight famous temples, Dianwan, Dianxia, carpenter Yeya grottoes and Sanjiao caves, forming a spectacular Grottoes group

. According to officials of the local cultural relics department, among the 73 holes discovered, there are 22 stone statues and 128 statues, as well as a large number of murals and inscriptions. After years of archaeological research, yunyasi grottoes were first excavated in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. After several dynasties of renovation, they reached their peak in the Ming Dynasty. From the end of the Qing Dynasty, they gradually became silent and declined. About an hour's walk from the foot of the mountain to the foot of the main peak of yunya temple. From a distance, the mountain is like a pile of wheat, echoing the surrounding mountains. In front of the cliff, there are steep peaks. In the middle of the cliff, there are three stories of buildings, which are in perfect arrangement. It looks like they are embedded in the cliff, hanging in the air, which is amazing. Wang Yabin, deputy director of the culture and Sports Bureau of Zhuanglang County, told us that yunya temple is a grotto temple with a history of more than 1600 years ago and a local scenic spot integrating grotto art and natural beauty. "The whole scenic spot is 13.75 km wide from east to west and 32.25 km long from north to south. There are mountains, water and trees in the belt scenic area, and there are also grotto sculptures that have gone through many vicissitudes. Such scenic spots are also rare in China. " The most praised cultural landscape of the local people is the grottoes group composed of Zhulin temple, Da temple, Xi temple, qiaoyang temple, Jinwa temple, fogou temple, Sanqing cave, Luohan cave, Dianwan cave, etc. According to historical records, "surrounded by mountains, flowing streams, pines, cypresses, cypresses, bamboos and famous flowers, the sky is blue and green, and there are many fairies and historic sites, which make people feel comfortable everywhere." It is a true portrayal of yunya scenic spot. According to the records of Huating county annals, the monk FA Yin of Song Dynasty opened Baiyun cave, "the cave is cloudy day and night, and the clouds are white." in the four seasons, "there are clouds in the cave, clouds on the hanging wall, clouds in front of the cave, and clouds at the bottom of the cave." Hence the name. At present, there are a large number of stone statues and clay statues in the main temple of yunya temple, most of which are in the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties. The peak is called Yuhuangding, also known as Zhongtai, with four arches in the East, West, North and south. There is Bijia peak behind Dongtai, Shizi peak behind Xitai, Shengyun peak behind Nantai and shenxiandesk peak behind Beitai. Many peaks embrace each other, stretching and forming a whole, towering, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. The scenery of yunya temple is charming, and there are many scenic spots. In its territory, there are different peaks, clouds and fog, dense forests and green grass everywhere; the winding path is quiet, and the running water is murmuring. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, there are many mountains and luxuriant trees. Climbing on the top of yuhuangjue, the main peak of yunya, which is surrounded by mountains, is like standing in the blue sea, with clouds and fog at your feet, towering rocks and towering peaks. Yunyasi grottoes, Baiyun cave and other scenic wonders are inlaid on the exposed cliffs on the front of the peak

Past glory

As an old saying goes: the world's famous mountains belong to monks and Taoists. Yunya temple is no exception. Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, the incense of yunya temple has flourished for thousands of years, with monks and Taoists gathering in almost every era. The scale of the temple building is also expanding. Historical records show that it has been repaired for many generations since the Tang and Song dynasties. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the scale of the building is huge, and the Buddhist activities are unprecedented. According to local tourism officials, yunya Temple held a large-scale Temple Fair every year in its heyday. Tourists and good people from all around the temple arrived early, and the scene was very grand. In yunya temple, monks and Taoists coexist and Buddhism and Laozi prosper. For thousands of years, visitors have followed one another, and the fragrance has never declined. Every year on April 8 of the ancient calendar, a large-scale temple fair is held. It is said that this day is the Buddha's birthday. At that time, the temples and Taoist temples do a lot of Buddhist and Taoist rituals. Tourists from inside and outside the county come in an endless stream, and the scene is very lively. The lively scenes of yunya temple at that time are recorded in the stone tablets of Zhushan yunya temple and yunya stone food book, which were set up in the 12th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty. It is a pity that yunya fairyland, like many places of interest in China, is far away from the closed countryside. It is also hard to avoid all kinds of hardships such as wars and natural disasters. After a decade of havoc, many temples were destroyed and a large number of statues were destroyed. According to officials of the local cultural relics department, on the circular platform of more than 500 square meters on the first floor, which is 10 meters above the ground, the original three exquisite temples of Buddha Hall, Bodhisattva hall and Zen house and their statues, and the eaves of the second floor of the wooden Grottoes no longer exist. In front of yunya temple, you can still see the orderly three-story cave platform, in which caves and niches are scattered, 92 cliff statues are lifelike, and 14 square meters of mural relief are colorful. In particular, from the second level of climbing iron pillars and chains, climbing up the ladder to the third level of caves and niches, there are 6 Buddhas, 28 Bodhisattvas, 2 disciples, 18 Arhats and 12 divine generals inside. The statues are full and natural, with different moods. They are decorated and depicted with exquisite craftsmanship, which can be regarded as masterpieces of plastic arts. These precious cultural relics attract Chinese and foreign tourists like magnets. When we went there, because of the Wenchuan earthquake not long ago, although some of the caves were temporarily closed, we could not see the whole picture, but its scale and momentum were still difficult to hide.

Beautiful legend

People who visit yunya temple like to climb to the top. In the middle of summer, when you climb on the top of the Jade Emperor, you can see from afar. In the vast forest, there are beautiful mountains and strange peaks, row upon row, just like eight hundred Arhats sitting in a row chanting scriptures. Close view of the cloud cliff, East, West, North and South four arch ring, like the stars. On the opposite side of Nantai, it is like the opening of scriptures and the spreading of Guihe's wings, so there is a legend of Guihe's coming to play. After the mountain, Jinniu peak, Xueshan peak and Leisheng peak stand out. There are two stone crevices on Changling mountain in front of the mountain. It's said that a Lama used magic to steal Jinniu from Jinniu peak and confiscate it. Then he got into the mountain from the front. This stone crevice was broken by Jinniu, which is called "Jinniu nose" by the folk. Beitai behind the mountain is composed of Bijia mountain, Qipan peak, shenxiantai, wotuofeng, jinwasi mountain and other five peaks. Together with yunya peak in front, it forms a picture of "wulaoguan Taiji", which is full of interest. Dongtai is located on the left side of the main peak of yunya, also known as Guanyin Mountain. It is towering with a thousand red cliffs. The wall near yunya is called Baxian cliff. There are five caves, such as Guanyin cave and Xiangzi cave, on the cliff. The cliff statues are faintly visible. There is tiannv peak behind Dongtai. The mountain is extremely dangerous, just like a fairy falling in the air. On the opposite side of Dongtai stands the cliff, which is called shiziling. It is like a lion crouching on its back, with a small peak protruding like a sergeant formation, so it is also called marching peak. To the right of the main peak of yunya is Xitai, also known as Luohan cliff. On the cliff, Yingdong is built like a honeycomb, commonly known as "Fenger Gezi". There are many strange rocks on the top of the mountain. The East and West platforms echo symmetrically, like two wings, inserted on the body of the main peak of yunya. Along the yunya River, there are some famous places such as Dashigou, yanchangzi and Hongya temple. There are cliffs, luxuriant forests and deep grass in dasigou, with streams running in the middle and clear to the bottom. The grottoes of dasigou, Xisi and Dianwan are distributed in this gully. The ancient plank road between the cliffs is still clear. According to the official of Zhuanglang County Tourism Bureau, yunya temple and surrounding monasteries echo each other, and there are shadows of ancient people's life everywhere in the whole scenic area. Among them, the most spectacular are those thousand foot precipices, some of which are shaped like sleeping lions, some of which are as high as buildings, some of which are hanging like eaves of pavilions, and some of which are as powerful as waterfalls. Among the many cliffs, the most legendary one is called "sacrifice Castle". Wang Yabin, deputy director of the culture and Sports Bureau of Zhuanglang County, told us that it is said that after a Buddhist carpenter built the yunya Temple group, he accidentally fell off the cliff from this dangerous place and broke to pieces. At that time, people thought that the cliff was transformed into a Buddha. In order to commemorate it, they called it "Sheshen cliff", also known as "Carpenter cliff", and carved a statue for it. The statue is still preserved in the cave.

Hongya temple and Zhulin Temple

Less than one kilometer from the depth of yunya temple, there is an open and spacious grassland of more than 30 mu. It is a saltern. It used to be a post station where horses and camels gather along the ancient Silk Road. Its flat terrain and bleak scenery record the hustle and bustle of that year. There is a gorge opposite yanchangzi. From a distance, a stone cliff runs across the front. The caves and niches on the cliff are arranged in a straight line. This is red cliff

Chinese PinYin : Yun Ya Si