Story of Linggu

Author: Liu Weicai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Linggu Temple is located east of Zhongshan Ling, a scenic area on Purple Mountain. Originally named Kaishan Temple, it was built by Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (Xiao Yan) in the 13th year of Tianjian (514) to bury his teacher, the monk Baozhi. It enshrines the remains of the famous monk Baozhi and features the Zhipong Pagoda. During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Baogong Chan Yuan, and in the Southern Tang Dynasty, it became Kaishan Dachang. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was called Taipingguo Temple. In the early Ming Dynasty, it was renamed Jiangshan Temple. Originally, the temple was built on Dulongfu of Purple Mountain, the site of the current Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. In the 14th year of Hongwu (1318), Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty moved the temple and pagoda here to build the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and renamed it Linggu Temple. At that time, it was very large, covering over 500 acres, with the main gate inscribed with "Under the Heaven, the Most Auspicious Chan Temple." It was later destroyed by warfare. The current Linggu Temple was built between 1928 and 1935 on the original site as the Martyrs' Cemetery of the National Revolutionary Army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was renamed Linggu Park but is still commonly referred to as Linggu Temple.
The main gate of Linggu Temple is a three-arched entrance hall covered with green glazed tiles, with red walls on both sides. The central arch is inscribed with "Linggu Scenic Area," while the side arches are marked with "Pine Sound" and "Spring Tide." A nearly 100-meter-long crescent-shaped release pool, known as the Wangu Gong Pool, lies to the south of the main gate. It is said to have been dug by 10,000 workers under the command of Zhu Yuanzhang. Passing through the main gate and the rainway leads to the barrel-vaulted hall. Originally named Wuliang Hall, it was named after the Infinite Buddha it enshrines and is the only remaining structure of the original Linggu Temple. Made entirely of bricks and stones without beams or rafters, it is also called the barrel-vaulted hall. The hall is 22 meters high, 46.7 meters wide, and 37.9 meters deep, with three arches on each side and windows on all four sides. Its structure is robust and majestic, and it has stood for over 600 years. In front of the hall stands a five-bay memorial archway for martyrs, with the middle archway inscribed with "Great Benevolence, Great Righteousness" and the back inscribed with "Saving the Nation, Saving the People." A pair of white marble carved lions stand in front of the archway. The walls of the hall are inscribed with Sun Yat-sen's "Last Will and Testament" and the names of martyrs of the National Revolutionary Army. Behind the barrel-vaulted hall is the martyrs' cemetery, which, along with the second and third cemeteries located 300 meters east and west, buries 1,029 martyrs from the Northern Expedition and the War of Resistance Against Japan. Behind the curved wall of the cemetery is the Fengfeng Pavilion, built on dozens of steps. The pavilion is 10 meters high, 41.7 meters wide, two stories tall with nine bays, an outer corridor, and red pillars surrounding it. The second floor is hollow, covered with green glazed tiles and blue eaves. A bronze tripod inscribed with "Famous Tripod, Lasting Merits" stands in the middle of the corridor behind the pavilion. About 100 meters north of the pavilion is the Linggu Pagoda, a landmark of Linggu Temple. It is 66 meters tall, nine stories high, octagonal in shape, with a diameter of 14 meters at the base and 9 meters at the top. It is a mixed structure of granite and reinforced concrete. Completed in 1933, it was originally called the Martyrs' Memorial Tower and is commonly known as the Nine-Story Pagoda. The spiral staircase inside winds around a central pillar, with 252 steps in total. Each story has blue glazed tiles on the eaves, and there is a corridor around the outside, with stone railings for visitors to overlook the scenery.
To the east of the barrel-vaulted hall is Linggu Temple, which houses the Grand Buddha Hall, the Arhat Hall, the Guanyin Hall, and other structures such as the Sutra Pavilion and the Maitreya Hall. Opposite the temple gate is a yellow-glazed screen wall. To the east of the temple stands a stele inscribed with "Linggu Deep Pines," about 5 meters tall. Across a small bridge to the east is the Liushang Hall, an ancient building now used as an international restaurant. About 100 meters southeast of the Liushang Hall is the tomb of Deng Yanda. The entrance to the tomb is a circular flower bed, with open-air corridors on both sides, supported by concrete frames and draped with wisteria. Each end of the corridors has a square pavilion. Snow pines and dragon cypresses stand before the tomb, surrounded by grasslands on three sides. A granite stele inscribed with "Tomb of Martyr Deng Yanda" by He Xiangning stands before the tomb. The tomb is circular, built on a platform, 4.5 meters high and 9.5 meters in diameter, and is a provincial-level protected cultural relic.
Next to Linggu Temple is the barrel-vaulted hall, originally called Wuliang Hall, named after the Infinite Buddha it enshrines. Built in the early Ming Dynasty, the hall is entirely constructed of large bricks without any wood or rafters, hence its popular name. It follows the traditional arch-style structure, with five bays and three sections, 50 meters long from east to west, 34 meters wide from north to south, and 37.8 meters deep. It has a dome-like shape, with three arches on each side and windows on all four sides. Its age, grandeur, and robust structure make it one of the most impressive similar buildings in China. In "The Story of Linggu," the ancient, modern, and contemporary content vividly depicts scenes as if through movie lenses, allowing visitors to appreciate the features, styles, and historical and cultural significance of the landscape, with rich meaning hidden within the scenery.