Sacred Mountains of China

Name : Sacred Mountains of China

Description : The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into two groups.
1) One associated with Taoism and
2) Other associated with Buddhism

The group associated with Taoism is known as the Five Great Mountains, whereas the group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism.

The Five Great Taoist Mountains
The Taoist Five Great Mountains are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center as a direction:

1. East: Tai Shan , literally Leading Peaceful Mountain, Shandong, 1,545 m
2. West: Hua Shan , literally Splendid Mountain), Shanxī, 1,997 m
3. South: Heng Shan , literally Balancing Mountain, Hunan, 1,290 m
4. North: (Bei) Heng Shan , literally Permanent Mountain, Shanxī, 2,017 m
5. Center: Song Shan , literally Lofty Mountain, Henan, 1,494 m

Alternatively, these mountains are sometimes referred to by the respective directions, i.e., as the "Northern Great Mountain" (Bei Yue), "Southern Great Mountain" (Nan Yue), "Eastern Great Mountain" (Dong Yue), "Western Great Mountain" (Xi Yue), and "Central Great Mountain" (Zhong Yue).

Legend : According to Chinese mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the limbs and the head of Pangu, the first being and creator of the world. Because of its eastern location, Mount Tài is associated with the rising sun which signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often regarded as the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains. In accordance with its special position, Mount Tài is believed to have been formed out of Pangu's head.

The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism

The Buddhist Four Sacred Mountains in China are:

1. Wutai Shan (literally Five-Terrace (Plateau) Mountain), Shanxi, 3,058 m
2. Emei Shan (literally Delicate-Eyebrow Mountain), Sìchuan, 3,099 m
3. Jiuhua Shan (literally Nine-Glories Mountain), Anhui, 1,341 m
4. Putuo Shan (literally Potalaka (Potala) Mountain), Zhejiang, 284 m

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Mountains_of_China

Leshan Giant Buddha

Name : Leshan literally meaning "happy mountain"

Location : Leshan Grand Buddha sits at the confluence of the Mingjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, in the Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. Leshan is on the southwestern fringe of the Red Basin in southern Sichuan, about 120 km from Chengdu.

Description : Leshan Grand Buddha (Da Fo), sitting 71 meters high, is the largest Buddha sculpture of Maitreya in the world. The building project was begun in 713, engineered by a monk called Haitong and was completed in the 19th year of Tang Dezhong (803 AD). The statue has undergone a large amount of weathering over the years, and has had many "face lifts" and repairs added, including a water drainage system hidden on the inside. Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of erosion, and officials are worried about possible collapse.

It is a UN-claimed world cultural and natural heritage. State-protected site of cultural relics, State-ranked scenic spot, and one of the "Best Forty" tourist places of China.

Leshan Grand Buddha has beautiful surroundings of green hills and vast waters. Around it are numerous cultural and scenic spots. There are Mahao Cave Tombs of the Han Dynasty, Lingbao Pagoda of the Tang Dynasty, Lingyun Temple, Dongpo Tower Study, Yijing Annotation Cave, Moruo Memorial Hall, Wuyou Temple, and the Heavenly-Buddhist Kingdom. All there present us with a great painting of the nature. Visitors, no matter in boats or on the hill paths, will all enjoy it, I am sure.''

It is possible to walk from top to bottom (and back up again) along a staircase carved in the wall overlooking the Buddha. A popular activity near the head is for people to have their photo taken "touching" the nose or sticking their finger in the ear of the buddha, supposedly for good luck.

Website : http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/leshan/

Mount Huashan

Name : Mount Huashan (or) Flower Mountain

Location : Mt. Hua is located in the Shaanxi Province of China. It stands to the south of Huayin City, 75 miles east of Xian. From the map, this mountain is located close to Himalayas of Tibet. 'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese, thus the name 'Hua-shan'.

Religion : Mt. Huashan is also a holy mountain of Taoism. It is said that Lao Zi (Lao Tzu), the founder and patriarch of Taoism, once lived and gave sermons here. Today many Taoism temples are also located on Mr. Huashan which helps explain why this is a much-visited area.

Description : When seen in a certain way, the five peaks of Huashan look like five petals of a flower. This is how Huashan got its nickname of Flowery Mountain.

Formerly the five mountains were dotted with temples but now only a few remain. These days the majority of visitors to Huashan are Chinese youth on vacation. However the mountain routes are still trekked by devoted pilgrims and wandering monks intent of visiting the sacred shrines.

In order to reach certain temples and the caves of the sages great courage is needed. Pilgrims must scale cliffs with only a linked chain for support and to fall is certain death.

The trek consists of 5 peeks ( north, south, west, east and middle ).

There are three ways up to Huashan's North Peak (1613 m), the lowest of the mountain's major peaks. The most popular is the also the original route, which winds for 6 km from Hua Shan village to the north peak. There is also the cable-car, as well as a path that follows the cable car to the North Peak. From the North Peak, a series of paths rise up to the four other peaks, the West Peak (2038 m), the Center Peak (2042 m), the East Peak (2100 m) and the South Peak (2160 m).

The North Peak, which was called Clouds Stand by ancient people, looks like a flat platform in the clouds. The peak is 1,614 meters (about 5,295 ft) high above sea level. The most important site on the North Peak is the Zhenwu Hall for God of North. The North Peak is very popular for climbing.



Nowhere are the cliff more difficult to climb than the South Peak. A tortuous 15 kilometer stepped path leads to the Green Dragon Ridge (Bilong ji) where other trails lead to the major peaks.



This picture was taken at the base of the West Peak climb.

These are the Heavenly Stairs.These steps are the Starting Point for the hiking trip up the West Peak mountain.As you can gather, the initial part of the climb seems steep, but safe. In addition, the view is awe-inspiring.

The Middle Peak, which is always connected with a beauty, is also called Jade Maiden Peak. Story goes that Nongyu, the daughter of King Mugong (659B.C.-621B.C.) of the Qin Kingdom (770B.C.-476B.C.), was tired of the life in the court. So she and her husband lived alone at Middle Peak.



The East Peak is 2,090 meters (about 6,857 ft) high above sea level. It is also called Facing Sun Peak because the top of the peak is the best place to watch the sunrise.



Recent Developments : As tourism has boomed and the mountain's accessibility vastly improved with the installation of the cable car in the 90s, visitor numbers surged. Despite the safety measures introduced by cutting deeper pathways and building up stone steps and wider paths, as well as adding railings, fatalities continued to occur. The local government has proceeded to open new tracks and created one-way routes on some more hair-raising parts, such that the mountain can be scaled without significant danger now, barring crowds and icy conditions. Some of the most precipitous tracks have actually been closed off.

The former trail that leads to the South Peak from North Peak is on a cliff face, and it was known as being extremely dangerous; there is now a new and safer stone-built path to reach the South Peak temple, and on to the Peak itself. The infamy and perilousness of the original route can be enjoyed in a story put on the web page of a person called Rick Archer with the title "The Deadly Huashan Hiking Trail"

Website :
http://www.ssqq.com/ARCHIVE/vinlin27d.htm

Sem Mukhem

Name : Sem Mukhem

Location : Talbala Sem parvat, Tehri, Uttaranchal

Description : At a height of 2903 mts., situated in the interior of the district, the temple of Nag Raja at Sem Mukhem is held in high esteem by the people of the area. Transport facilities are available up to Khamba Khal, a distance of 64 kms. from Tehri. One has to walk for about 7 kms. from the Khamba Khal to reach Sem. The temple is situated at the top of a hill about 5 kms. from the village Mukhem which is 2 kms. from the motor head of Khamba Khal. Accommodation is provided by the ‘Pandas’ of the village Mukhem.

Website : http://tehri.nic.in/TOURIST/tour-main1.htm

Yudono san, Japan

Name : Yudono San

Location : Being one of the 3temples of Dewa Sanzan, it is also located in the center of Yamagata prefecture, between Tsuruoka and Yamagata city, Japan.

Description : The three sacred mountains of Dewa, known in Japanese as "Dewa Sanzan" have been the object of worship for centuries. The 3 mounts are Haguro-san, Yudono-san and Gas-san.

Mount Yudono (1,504m) is another two and a half hour walk. The first is 40min descend where the trail becomes a slippery stream bed. Here a series of ladders and chains help us descend the final stretch to the Yudono-san Jinja. then it is a steep hike up before reaching Yudono-san Shrine, the holiest of the three, although it is just a big rock and a torii.

There is a huge orange rock with a hot spring bubbling from it's top. The whole rock was continuously lapped by water from the spring. The rock itself is said to be an embodied deity. Yudono-san Jinja has the strictest rituals of the three mountains.

Yudono-san can also be accessed via the three km trail from the Yudono-san Hotel to Senninzawa.

Website : http://sacredmountains.blogspot.com/2007/09/dewa-sanzen.html

Gas san, Japan

Name : Gassan-Jinja Temple

Location : The Dewa Sanzan are located in the center of Yamagata prefecture, between Tsuruoka and Yamagata city, Japan.

Description : The three sacred mountains of Dewa, known in Japanese as "Dewa Sanzan" have been the object of worship for centuries. The 3 mounts are Haguro-san, Yudono-san and Gas-san.

Gas-san is the highest peak of the Dewa Sanzen, 1984m. It is worshiped as a mountain where our ancestors sleep, and a mountain of fertility that brings rich waters. The hike is not stairs, it is a beautiful trail through bushes.

At the top of Mt. Gassan, there is the Gassan-jinja Shrine. To enter the shrine we had to be purified. We had to bow our heads before the Priest for a blessing, then rub our shoulders, arms, body, legs and feet with sacred paper. Then we drop the paper in a fountain.

Other Attractions : This place is famous for Mida-ga-hara Marsh where you can enjoy nikko-kisuge (yellow alpine lilies), black lilies, mizubasho (Japanese skunk cabbages) and other marsh vegetation.

Website : http://www.jref.com/practical/dewa_sanzan_gassan_yudonosan_hagurosan.shtml