Kasaya Spring

Kasaya Spring

Kasaya Spring, also known as Dugu Spring, is located under the cliff on the south side of the road east of the ruins of the "Revolutionary Repository" temple hall at Lingyan Temple. The Qing Dynasty Kangxi-era *Lingyan Annals* records: “In the past, there was a hermit surnamed Dugu who built a thatched hut beside the spring, and later generations named the spring after his surname.” During the Ming Dynasty Wanli era, Liu Liangcai, a successful imperial examination candidate from Licheng, lived in seclusion at Lingyan and built the “Wall-Facing Studio” by the spring. Disliking the name “Dugu,” he renamed it “Yin Spring,” symbolizing the origin of Buddhism in India, though this name did not gain widespread use. Later, because an iron casting known as the “Iron Kasaya” was erected near the spring, it came to be called “Kasaya Spring.”

This spring has a vigorous source and sweet-tasting water, serving as the main drinking water supply for the Lingyan Scenic Area. The spring originates inside a cave, the entrance of which has been sealed. Water flows out from crevices in the rock face beneath the cliff, gathering into a semi-circular stone pool, then meandering and pouring through the mouth of a carved stone dragon into a large pool. Colorful fish swim in the pool, which is surrounded by winding corridors and set against steep cliffs. The “Iron Kasaya” stands by the spring, adding a unique charm. It is listed among the Seventy-Two Famous Springs of the Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties.