Yiyang Longtan Temple

Yiyang Longtan Temple

Yiyang Longtan Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Longtan Temple is located to the east of Longtan River in Yueshe Village, Zhangwu Township. It gets its name from a dragon pool covering an area of about 60 square meters situated nearby. Based on the structural and architectural features of the main hall, it is inferred to have been built during the Jin Dynasty. Currently, there are 17 remaining structures including the Mahavira Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the East Side Hall, and monks’ quarters. There are also seven earthen kilns, covering a total area of over three mu. The temple grounds house several stone stelae, their surfaces weathered and inscriptions blurred. One of them bears the inscription “Tianhe First Year” (566 AD), though it remains uncertain whether this marks the year of the temple’s founding. Legend has it that a Dragon King Temple originally stood here before being converted into a Buddhist temple. To the west and north outside the temple are two stupas—one is the “Xiaogang Yun Gong Monk Stupa,” built in the 22nd year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1842 AD). To the south of the temple lies the Berlin Waterfall, offering pleasant scenery.

Longtan Temple is famed for four remarkable natural wonders: The first is the “Hundred-Mile Dragon Well.” This is a stone well roughly two meters in diameter with an unfathomable depth. Legend says it connects to the Yi River, over a hundred li away, and whenever the Yi River floods, sand and mud emerge from the well—hence its name. The second is the “Thousand-Year Reclining Buddha.” About twenty meters upstream from the dragon well, on the right side of the stream, a stone curtain reveals the image of a reclining Buddha, bare-chested and serene, his head slightly elevated, left leg crossed over the right, appearing natural and peaceful. It is said to be a naturally formed likeness of Bodhidharma, the patriarch of Zen Buddhism. The third wonder is the “Drum-Flying Dragons and Phoenixes.” On the western side of the dragon well, a waterfall-like stone cascade hangs down tens of meters high, featuring a blend of gray, white, and green hues with smooth lines and vivid shapes resembling dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing. At the center of this formation are two slightly protruding stone drums. When struck with a stone, they produce a resonant drumming sound. It is said that if the rhythm of the strikes matches certain musical tones, the magical sight of dragons and phoenixes in flight can be seen. The fourth is the “Characters Emerging from Stone.” On a stone cliff to the east of the dragon well, there is a naturally formed two-square-foot character “佛” (Buddha), clearly visible. It consists of white mineral veins on bluish-gray granite, and the precision and symmetry of the character are truly astounding.