Ji'an Tiantai Mountain

Ji'an Tiantai Mountain

Tiantai Mountain, the site of the Buddhist Association. Located northwest of Huangnilong Village in Taotang Township, it is 40 kilometers from the county town, with an elevation of 802.1 meters and covers an area of 4 square kilometers. At the summit stands a temple called "Lanruo Temple." At its peak, the temple housed over 100 monks and served as a hub for the three counties of Yongfeng, Jishui, and Le'an. According to records, in the third year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (628 AD), Buddhist master Biyun built Xiangcheng Monastery in the small basin at the mountain’s summit. It was renovated in the fifth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1312 AD) and is one of the county’s earlier temples. The temple faces south and is built with brick and wood, consisting of 27 rooms covering an area of 2,000 square meters. The left side has three buildings that serve as Buddhist halls, the right side has three as an academy, and the middle three function as shrine rooms. About half a li to the east and west, there is the Lingpu Pagoda, which bears stone tablets inscribed with the dharma names of numerous eminent monks, with the last line reading “Re-erected on the first day of the first lunar month in the third year of the Tianqi era of the Dragon Flight period.” Next to the pagoda are several stone slabs; lifting them reveals a hidden passage where one can descend. After reaching a set of two-tiered stone steps, there is a circular basement. This site has since been developed to include the Mahavira Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Lamp-Lighting Pavilion, the Mountain God Temple, and the Thousand-Hand Guanyin Hall. It serves as the Buddhist center of the county and is also one of its key tourist attractions.