Stone carvings near Tianchi Temple

Stone carvings near Tianchi Temple

The stone carvings near Tianchi Temple are located on Mount Lu in Jiujiang. During the Ming Dynasty, it was decreed to be built as Tianchi Huguo Temple. It was known as the foremost temple of Mount Lu. The philosopher Wang Shouren composed three quatrains on Tianchi Mountain and inscribed two plaques: “The Highest Point of Mount Lu” and “Juxian Pavilion.”

Mount Lu suffered significant damage during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. After the Ming Dynasty was established, the damaged historical sites on Mount Lu were gradually restored. It is particularly worth mentioning that Tianchi Temple, which was not prominent in earlier dynasties (with only about twenty poems written about Tianchi Mountain and Tianchi Temple throughout the entire Song Dynasty), was decreed to be built as Tianchi Huguo Temple in the Ming Dynasty. With special support from the Ming government and Jiangxi officials, the temple flourished immensely and earned the reputation of being the “foremost temple of Mount Lu.” As a result, hundreds of poems about Tianchi were written during the Ming Dynasty. Among them, the three quatrains composed by the philosopher Wang Shouren on Tianchi Mountain received responses from scholars such as Wang Ji, Feng Zeng, Wang Zongmu, Zou Yuanbiao, Zhao Yongguang, Li Chunxi, Ou Daxiang, Li Chunxi, and Shao Jingji. His poem "Night View of Buddha’s Light at Wenshu Terrace" describes the marvelous phenomenon of flickering lights often seen at night near Wenshu Rock beside Tianchi Temple, commonly referred to as “Buddha’s Light,” and by the monks of Tianchi Temple as “Sacred Light.” This phenomenon has been recorded since the Northern Song Dynasty, and several poems were also dedicated to this mystical sight during the Song Dynasty. Wang Shouren’s poem captures this wonder with romantic flair and is considered an outstanding work. Many Ming Dynasty poems depict this spectacle, numbering in the dozens. There are also numerous Ming Dynasty stone carvings on Tianchi Mountain, such as the two plaques inscribed by Wang Shouren: “The Highest Point of Mount Lu” and “Juxian Pavilion.” In the sixth year of the Jiajing reign, Chen Yi, Left Censor of Jiangxi, visited Tianchi Temple and, moved by the experience, wrote a seven-character regulated verse titled "Tianchi," which was later engraved on the stone wall of the Doumu niche near the temple. This poem has been preserved to this day.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units