Accidentally entered the "Palace in the Sky"
❤Recommended Reason:
Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Area Niushou Mountain, also known as Tianque Mountain, is named for its twin peaks on the mountain top resembling the horns of a bull's head. The Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Area boasts beautiful scenery and is known as "Spring Niushou" for its reputation. In ancient times, there were famous Jinling sceneries such as Niushou Misty Mountains and Zutang Vibrant Tin, and many historical relics have been preserved.
Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Area is a Buddhist holy land. The Buddha Cave Temple built by Xu Du, the Minister of Works during the second year of the Liang Dynasty's Tianjian era (503 AD), was the first temple on Niushou Mountain. The last ruler of the Southern Tang, Li Yu, renamed it Hongjue Temple; Emperor Tang Daizong once dreamed of a Pratyekabuddha visiting him from Niushou Mountain, hence the Pratyekabuddha Pagoda. During the Tang Dynasty, the monk Farong, hailed as the 'Dharma of Eastern Xia', founded the Niutou Chan School on Niushou Mountain, also known as 'Jiangbiao Niutou'. The establishment of the Niutou Chan School played a significant role in transforming Indian Dhyana into Chinese Chan, serving as an important bridge.
📆Tour Strategies:
Niushou Mountain has an east and a west gate; the east gate is at the foot of the mountain, a 200-meter walk will take you to the entrance of the scenic area, and then you can take a direct bus to the mountain gate. There are many attractions at the east gate, and there is a luggage storage area, but if it's the peak season, parking is difficult, and you have to queue for the bus; the west gate is halfway up the mountain, requiring a walk up the mountain, closer to the Buddha's Top Palace, but if you're fit, it won't take long to get there.
After getting off the bus and entering the scenic area, you can see the escalators going up the mountain, which are divided into several sections. I feel that in all my travels, this is the first time I've seen escalators that can go up a mountain😃 This facility is simply too friendly😆 especially for the elderly and children!
After exiting the Zen Scenery Grand View, walk along the corridor to the entrance of the Underground Palace. Before entering the Underground Palace, you need to put on shoe covers, and then follow the guide signs. As soon as you enter the main gate of the Underground Palace, you take the descending escalator. Going down to the fifth underground level, passing through the Thousand Buddha Corridor, what appears before you is the Relic Hall.
Suggested visiting order: Buddha's Top Palace - Underground Palace - Buddha's Top Pagoda - Buddha's Top Temple.
🌟Highlights:
The Buddha's Top Palace is themed around the worship of the Buddha's parietal bone relic, divided into a large dome and a small dome, symbolizing external and internal offerings. The Buddha's Top Palace is built using an existing mine pit, with six underground levels and three above ground, very solemn and imposing. Many people say the top is a "golden durian"🤣 but it actually resembles the Buddha's hair bun and kasaya more. The reflection on the lake sets off the building, making it very photogenic!
There are a total of 56 flying Apsara Bodhi gates and 56 cloud gate wish-fulfilling columns symbolizing auspiciousness. The arches and corridors outside the palace have a bit of a European style! Inside the palace, what catches the eye are exquisite murals, carved from more than twenty types of thousands of pieces of jade, telling the story of the "Buddha's smile upon picking a flower" and the origin of the "robe and bowl inheritance".
The celestial palace of the Buddha's Top Palace, also known as the Zen Scenery Grand View. In the center is the Nirvana statue of the Buddha, made of bronze in the shape of white marble.
Right in the center of the Relic Hall is the Relic Pagoda. It's truly breathtaking, with a level of exquisiteness that cannot be expressed in words, approached with a heart of reverence
Coming out of the Relic Hall to the sixth underground level, it is only open for 21 special days each year, on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the Bathing Buddha Festival, the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha🙏 It's rare to have the chance to pay homage to the Buddha's parietal bone relic🙏
We visited here on May 3. Totally worth it. Highly recommended.
The Disneyland of Buddhist attractions, I visited during a holiday weekend, which wasn’t the best idea. 人山人海. Because of traffic before a train ride home and the amount of people, I only saw a few attractions while I was there; my fault. That said, what I did see was beautiful, however. The facilities were clean, food everywhere, and accessible for all via ramps and buses. Walking the hole park isn’t possible. Luggage storage was helpful. English maps. Tour guides available. Taxis/buses ready.
Beautiful architecture and craftsmanship. If you are into culture and spiritual experiences you must visit this place!
You cannot use the return card, you must use the registration phone to enter the venue. It is best to enter the venue early in the morning, otherwise there are many tour groups.
Buying a day earlier is cheaper, the scenery is very good, it is definitely the first scenic spot in Nanjing.