Tiezhu Temple

Tiezhu Temple

Tiezhu temple is located in Tiezhu temple village, Taihua Township, about 6 kilometers west of Midu County, Dali City, Yunnan Province. Tiezhu temple is the most famous historic site in Midu County. The Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao was called "Tiezhu Temple" or "Tiezhu Temple" in ancient times. It is famous for the iron pillar in the temple. The iron pillar is 3.3 meters high, 1.05 meters long and weighs about 2 tons. It has a history of more than 1100 years. There are many legends about the reasons for the columns. The most popular saying is that Zhuge Liang pacified Nanman, handed over weapons, recorded merits with cast iron pillars, and then recast them by Shilong of Nanzhao. Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Yi people gather in Tiezhu temple to hold activities of sacrificing pillars, which is a local traditional festival.

Basic introduction

Nanzhao iron pillar, cast in the Tang and Nanzhao periods, is not only one of the only six national key cultural relics in Dali Prefecture, but also a rare precious cultural relic in China, which is famous at home and abroad. It is a kind of witness to study the history, national culture, folk customs, science and technology of the development of the local minority regime in the western region of China during the Tang and Nanzhao periods. It is the treasure of Midu town and county. The whole temple of Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao, covering an area of more than 6000 square meters, consists of a gate, a screen wall, an arch bridge, an inkstone pool, a mountain gate, a stage with three knives on both sides, two leisure corridors, five chambers and seven halls. In 1977, the state invested more than 120 yuan to carry out a comprehensive professional maintenance of the Tiezhu temple building complex, restoring the elegant and exquisite Qing style architectural style, exquisite painting and exquisite carving of the ancient building complex. Many meaningful carving and painting patterns make many visitors and scholars who visit Tiezhu Temple linger. The environment of Tiezhu temple is quiet and pleasant, with tall and green ancient banyan, simple and beautiful plum trees, colorful camellia and azalea, fragrant osmanthus, white and Purple Magnolia and peony, quiet and natural purple bamboo forest, and neat road paved with vigorous green lawn and bluestone board. The rocks, which complement the seedlings, create a solemn and elegant atmosphere for the old temple, so that visitors can fully appreciate the mysterious charm of Tiezhu temple.

The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar is the annual grand meeting of Tiezhu temple. On this day, the Yi people around the temple dressed in festival costumes, led by the "a Tuan" who presided over the sacrifice, went to Tiezhu temple to hold a solemn ceremony of offering sacrifices to the pillars, ancestors and leading songs. After the ceremony, there was a lively and joyful song playing activity in Tiezhu temple. At the same time, the local lantern show with local characteristics is also performed at the same time. Two kinds of traditional programs of different forms and nationalities complement each other, attracting more than ten thousand visitors to Tiezhu temple. In view of the great historical, artistic, scientific and cultural value of the Nanzhao iron pillar, it was announced by the State Council of the people's Republic of China as the third batch of state key cultural relics protection units in 1988. At the same time, the Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao is also a witness of the mutual integration and common development of the local ethnic groups. In 1999, it was announced by the Yunnan government as a provincial patriotic education base.

geographical position

In ancient times, this area was the white cliff of bolongchuan. Bolongchuan is now Midu dam. After the Qing Dynasty, due to the taboo of white characters, Baiya was changed to Hongya. The scope of ancient Baiya village was wider than that of Hongyan village. There is Baiya city in Baiya Town, which is the ruling center of "Baizi country" in legend. After Nanzhao became powerful, Luo Feng, the king of Nanzhao, occupied Baiya city and built a new city outside the old city to accommodate his stepmother and half brother. Manshu has a very specific description of Baiya City: "Baiya city is in bolongchuan The city is ten feet high and surrounded by water, but the north and South gates are open. The south corner is the old city, surrounded by two Li. In the new city in the northeast corner, Luo Feng, a pavilion built in the seventh year of Dali, is surrounded by four Li. " There is a hall in the new town, with winding veranda, orange and orange green behind, and thick bamboo groves outside the north gate. Each tree is as thick as a human leg and more than 100 feet high. The environment is very quiet.

Bolongchuan was the manor of middle-level officials in Nanzhao. About 20 miles south of Baiya City, there is Manzi City, probably near the present Midu County. The iron pillar of Nanzhao was between the two cities, which was the important ruling area of Nanzhao.

Historical research

Guo Songnian, the court official in the early Yuan Dynasty, wrote in the book of Dali: "baiyadian There are ancient temples and iron pillars in the southwest. " It can be seen that Tiezhu temple was built before the Yuan Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1665, the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and rebuilt in 1784. At that time, the temple covered an area of 5541 square meters, with a construction area of 1542 square meters. The outer courtyard was composed of dazhaobi, outer stage, square, inkstone pool and three arch stone bridge; the backyard was composed of Sanhuang hall, Notre Dame hall, Tuzhu hall and North Wing room. The iron pillar stands in the center of the main hall of the front yard. Later, Tiezhu temple was seriously damaged due to disrepair. Since 1978, the main hall, the three arch stone bridge and the big screen wall have been restored. The "Wei Zhen Kun Mi" at the gate of the hall, the plaque on the top of the Buddhist niche and the long couplet written by Li Ju Cun, a scholar in Midu during the reign of Daoguang, have been erected again. This couplet contains the history and related folk customs of the iron pillar: Lusheng saizu, yurt hat Dage, the name of the pillar Tianzun, the golden thread flying around the old base; Meng Shi buried, Zhao Bei moss eroded, a few words left in the Tang Dynasty, there is a wasteland temple in the depth of colorful clouds.

Nanzhao iron pillar is also known as yashuan iron pillar, Jianning iron pillar or Tianzun iron pillar. The column is cylindrical, black, iron, solid, weighing about 2069 kg, 3.3 meters high and 32.7 cm in diameter. It is made of five sections. The top of the column is a cone-shaped pit, 7 cm deep, with three Yakou, each covered with a carved wooden dragon and an iron hat (shaped like a pot). There is a 91 cm long and 8 cm wide convex wire frame in the West Center of the column. In the middle of the column, there are 22 characters in the regular script "weijianji 13 years old second Renchen April gengzishuo 14 days Guichou establishment". Ruan Fu, a stone expert in the Qing Dynasty, once said that the 22 characters "are slightly smaller than those of zhongnianyuekuan in Chongsheng Temple (Jianji) and have a unique style. They should be written by one person.". Jianji is the year of Shilong, the 11th king of Nanzhao. In 872, it was the 13th year of Xiantong, Yizong of Tang Dynasty. There were two statues of men and women on the left and right sides of the iron pillar. It is said that they are the statues of Shilong and his concubine in Nanzhao. Another way of saying is that they are the statues of Meng Huo and his wife. In front of the central pillar is the memorial tablet of marquis Wu of Zhuge, which has been destroyed. On the 15th of the first month of each year, the Yi people nearby come to sacrifice to the Tuzhu (named as the great black god of chilingjing emperor) by slaughtering pigs and sheep, and sing songs to entertain the God at night. Nanzhao iron pillar is also one of the rare cultural relics in Nanzhao, which reflects the religious belief and the level of iron smelting technology at that time. The historical materials are of high value. In January 1988, it was announced as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council.

Temple structure

There is a main hall in Tiezhu Temple of Nanzhao in Dali, which is composed of Zhaobi, Shanmen acting stage, back hall of Tiezhu Temple of Nanzhao, North and South chambers. The main hall, with three bays on Xieshan mountain, is 14 meters wide and 15 meters deep. It was built in 1665, the fourth year of Kangxi reign of emperor Xuanye of the Qing Dynasty. On the door of Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao, Dali, there is a gold plaque of "weizhenbimi". On both sides, there is a long couplet written by Li jucun, a county man: Lusheng saizu, Yumao Dage, the column was named Tianzun in those years, and the golden thread was left around the old base; the alliance stone was buried, the stele was eroded by moss, and a few words were left in the Tang Dynasty.

The inscriptions and couplets of Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao show the great prestige and historical evolution of Tiezhu and temple, which makes people respect Tiezhu before they see it. The iron pillars of Nanzhao iron pillar temple in Dali stand on the stone niches in the hall. The stone niches are carved with Buddhist niches, which are straight round bodies. The pillar is 3.3 meters high and 1.05 meters long. The top of the pillar is incomplete and Y-shaped. The pillar body of the temple is made of five sections. It is inscribed with the original Yangwen script: "the 13th year of weijianji is Renchen, April, and the 14th day of gengzishuo is Guichou.". Jianji is the year name of mengshilong, the 11th king of Nanzhao. The 13th year of Jianji is equivalent to the 13th year of Xiantong of Yizong of Tang Dynasty (872). It is a relic of Tang Dynasty. At the top of the pillar of Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao, there are three wooden taps. There is a pot with golden winged birds on it. It was destroyed later. The existing pot and taps are newly restored. There are statues of Meng Shilong and Princess of Jingzhuang in Yi costume on the left and right of the pillar. There are many opinions about the construction of pillars, and the written records of the Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao of Dali appeared earlier in the Yuan Dynasty. Guo Songnian of Ming Dynasty wrote in the book of Dali Xingji: "there is an ancient temple in the southwest of Baiyandian, with iron pillars in it. It is seven feet and five inches high and two feet and eight inches in diameter. It was built by the 11th king of Mengshi in the past. The title date: "in April of Renchen in the 13th year of Jianji, the ten days of gengzi Shuo are four days of Guichou. On top of the gold, the local people are called Tianzun pillar. They are worshipped at four o'clock. The Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao may have been established by Marquis Wu, but it is not. " According to Xu Jiarui's historical manuscript of Dali ancient culture, "Jianji was the false name of Shilong of Nanzhao. Feng Sheng's diankao said that Nanzhao was promoted by xinuluo. When Tiezhu Temple of Nanzhao in Dali became Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, Zhang lejin, the leader of Yunnan Province, offered sacrifices to Tiezhu, and xinuluo followed it, counting the miracles, Yuejin gave way to the throne. The iron pillar of Nanzhao iron pillar temple in Dali was established by Marquis Wu of Zhuge. He peeled off the iron pillar for a long time and sought to recast it. In the article of Tiezhu temple in Nanzhao, Dali, it does not mention Marquis Wu or recast. Is it true that the column made by xinuluo has been broken, but Shilong has not? There are many inscriptions on gold and stone in Central Yunnan after the Yuan Dynasty. There are few inscriptions on tie Zhu temple in Nanzhao of Dali before the Song Dynasty. The inscriptions on tie Zhu Temple originated from the Tang Dynasty and are the rarest, so they are copied by hand and listed on the right. " The temple of Tiezhu in Nanzhao, Dali, was built by Shilong and was a real object of the Tang Dynasty. Its value was not under the Nanzhao tablet, and it did not need to be attached to Zhuge Liang. Xu Jiarui said: "Nanzhao Shilong, the iron pillar in Midu, is the Buddha

Chinese PinYin : Tie Zhu Miao