My 7 day trip to China's Jiangsu province was filled with so many memorable moments - one of the biggest moments was our visit to the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan 靈山大佛 in Wuxi. Standing at 88 metres, the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world.
On arrival, our first stop at the huge Grand Buddha of Ling Shan Scenic Area was 九龙灌浴 Nine Dragons Bathing Child Buddha.
The Grand Buddha at Ling Shan is about 1 hour's drive from Wuxi city (distance 25 km). We arrived at the Grand Buddha after spending the night at Wuxi's 东方盐湖城 Eastern Salt Lake City. (That's another fascinating destination for another post.)
Wuxi is connected by High Speed Rail (bullet train) from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Nanjing. From Wuxi Railway Station, there are buses (#88 & #91) and taxis to the Grand Buddha.
Devotees queued patiently under the blistering sun to bathe the Child Buddha. It was a cloudless sky with the sun at full blast overhead during our visit.
Nowadays, older visitors pay homage to the Child Buddha with technology. The Child Buddha at Ling Shan standing on a lotus flower is 7.2 metres tall.
At 5 scheduled intervals per day, the Nine Dragons spout water to bathe the Child Buddha.
Devotees collect the blessed water that had bathed the Child Buddha. Devotees believe the holy water brings good health and good luck.
At 11.7 metres tall, this is the largest Buddha Hand in the world - it's the exact same size as the hand on the Grand Buddha of Ling Shan. In the foreground are large incense urns for devotees. Devotees believe that touching the Buddha Hand brings long life and good fortune.
The long flight of stairs with 216 steps lead to the foot of the Grand Buddha of Ling Shan. Can you see the people at the foot of the Grand Buddha? Buddha is standing on a giant pedestal of lotus flowers.
The Grand Buddha at Ling Shan was built under Chairman of Buddhist Association of China (1980 - 2000), Zhao Puchu's concept of 五方五佛 Five Buddhas in Five Directions.
North 🙏 云冈大佛 Yungang Buddha in Shanxi
South 🙏 天坛大佛 Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong
East 🙏 靈山大佛 Ling Shan Buddha in Jiangsu
West 🙏 乐山大佛 Leshan Buddha in Sichuan
Central 🙏 龙门大佛 Longmen Buddha in Henan.
The Grand Buddha at Ling Shan was built in 1997 at the site of the ancient temple 祥符禪寺 originally built during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).
Looking up from the feet of Grand Buddha at Ling Shan. The Grand Buddha made of copper stands at 88 metres, one of the tallest in the world.
A panoramic view of the whole Grand Buddha at Ling Shan Scenic Area, looking down from the feet of the Grand Buddha. The Grand Buddha faces Taihu Lake 太湖 and is embraced by three hills to His sides and back.
From here, we can see the entrance arches, Nine Dragons Bathing Child Buddha, Ashoka Pillar, Buddha Hand, etc. (There are electric buggies to take visitors around the sprawling complex for a small fee.)
Devotees believe that Buddha will grant their wishes made at His feet.
I wish everyone will be blessed with more love and happiness.
Our next stop, the Brahma Palace 灵山梵宫. We took a sneak peek at one of the meeting rooms, tip toeing our way to the sanctuary.
We were awed by the splendour as we stood stunned in silence at the entrance to the sanctuary. The ceiling is 150 metres high.
As we were drawn in deeper into the 190 metre deep sanctuary, we were surrounded by exquisite and grand art. The meaning of the great beauty I saw around me was a mystery to me but I can feel the powerful devotion of the artists who created these incredibly detailed masterpieces.
Continuing deeper into the sanctuary, the altar.
The Buddha at the altar.
Arching my old neck to admire the beautiful ceiling at the sanctuary.
The last stop of our visit to the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan was "Ode to Auspice" 吉祥颂, a performance depicting the life of Buddha, from birth to His Enlightenment.
I am grateful for the opportunity to visit the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan. Hope to be back again as this visit was rather hurried. I would love to see some of the highlights which we missed and would also love to pause and appreciate quietly the splendid Grand Buddha.
Here's a checklist of Grand Buddha at Ling Shan highlights:
Entrance 👣 Grand Screen Wall 👣 Altar of Buddha’s Footprints 👣 Nine Dragons Bathing Sakyamuni 👣 Buddha’s Hand Square 👣 Xiangfu Temple 👣 Ancient Ginkgo Square 👣 Grand Buddha 👣 Brahma Palace 👣 Flying Dragon Tower 👣 Five Mudra Mandala 👣 Exit
Date visited: 13 May 2018
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
Great shot of that ah boy getting water from the fountain!
ReplyDelete