Big Heavenly Lake

Big Heavenly Lake

Big Heavenly Lake is located atop the Big Heavenly Lake Mountain at an altitude of over 900 meters in the northwest of Mount Lu. From here, you can look south to the Nine Wonders Peak, gaze down at the Shimen Gully, view the Buddha’s Hand Rock to the east, and overlook the White Cloud Peak to the west. The Big Heavenly Lake is actually the liberation pond of the Heavenly Lake Temple, rectangular in shape, with tranquil greenish water that shines like jade. The Heavenly Lake Temple no longer exists.

Guide:

To the west of the former Heavenly Lake Temple was a crescent-shaped moon worship platform, which was named the Manjusri Platform because it was dedicated to the Bodhisattva Manjusri. The existing structure is a mixed stone, wood, and cement construction, featuring five stone chambers with a platform above. On the ridge of Heavenly Lake Mountain stands a pagoda surrounded by lush pine trees. Inside the pagoda are cultural relics such as a silver Buddha statue, Song Dynasty coins, and crystal beads. To the west of the pagoda lies a square stone platform called Tianxin Platform, built by Lin Sen. Beneath the platform is a large, smooth horizontal rock resembling a mirror, inscribed with the characters “Zhao Jiang Ya” (Reflecting River Cliff).

Highlights:

Climbing to the top of Heavenly Lake Mountain, you can look south to the Nine Wonders Peak, gaze down at the Shimen Gully, view the Buddha’s Hand Rock to the east, and overlook the White Cloud Peak to the west. With two streams meandering around and four mountains stretching far and wide, the distant waves shimmer into view, offering a highly wild and natural charm. Especially on moonlit nights, when you are leisurely at the summit, you may often see tiny glowing spots deep in the valley resembling lights—these are known as “Buddha Lights.” The famous Ming Dynasty neo-Confucian scholar Wang Yangming once wrote a poem about them: “The old man reclines high on the Manjusri Platform, leaning on his cane as he knocks open the night sky. Stars scatter across the plains, and monks all say it’s the Buddha Lights arriving.” The peril of Dragon Head Cliff, the clouds at Lingxu Pavilion, and the Buddha’s halo at the Manjusri Platform are known as the “Three Wonders” of Big Heavenly Lake.

Introduction:

Big Heavenly Lake is situated on the mountain top in the northwest of Mount Lu at an altitude of over 900 meters. It was originally the liberation pond of the now-abandoned Heavenly Lake Temple, rectangular in shape, with tranquil greenish water that shines like jade.

Time Needed

10 minutes

Ticket

Included in the general admission ticket

Opening Hours

All day

Location

Summit of the northwest part of Mount Lu