Banbian Temple

Banbian Temple

Although Gong County is not a Buddhist holy land, there are quite a few temples scattered across its towns and villages. Some, like Banbian Temple, have a long history and have endured many twists and turns, while others are more grandly built and magnificent than Banbian Temple. Yet today we single out Banbian Temple for our readers, not only because of its strategic location between the Bo People’s Hanging Coffins and Longbao Mountain, nor just because of its elegant setting nestled against the mountains and by the water, but more importantly for two reasons: first, Banbian Temple uniquely combines temple and rock—part temple, part cliff, with the cliff within the temple and the temple within the cliff; second, apart from the coffins and cliff paintings left behind by the Bo people in Gong County, and the burial objects unearthed from the coffins, Banbian Temple is the only place where traces of Bo culture can still be found, namely the long-worshipped statues of the three siblings of the A family.

Located on the opposite bank of the Nan Guang River, about 2 kilometers southeast of Shangluo Town, is where Banbian Temple was built. To reach the temple, visitors must take a wooden boat across the river after getting off the bus. The temple is built close to the water and nestled against the rock. From a distance, it looks as if the temple is the rock and the rock is the temple; up close, half of the temple is embedded within the cliffs, hence the name Banbian Temple (Half-Side Temple). Originally called Dragon King Temple, it was built in the 24th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1397 AD). At that time, the Dragon King Temple consisted only of an upper hall, a lower hall, and a natural cave, housing only a few statues such as that of the Dragon King—it was truly a small temple.

In 1654, when the county seat was moved to Shangluo, the area once boasted a spectacular array of “six temples, three palaces, and nineteen shrines.” However, after the county seat was relocated again and due to repeated damage during the Cultural Revolution, many temples fell into disuse. To make worship more convenient, devotees expanded the Dragon King Temple and renamed it “Banbian Temple,” a name that has been used ever since. The expanded temple stands atop perilous cliffs and overlooks deep valleys, with hanging pavilions and halls that house numerous Buddha statues such as Guanyin and the Eighteen Arhats. The steep cliffs are also covered with various Buddhist murals. Corridors wind between the halls and caves, creating a play of solid and void structures, a design of remarkable ingenuity. Most uniquely, the temple also enshrines statues of the “Three Sage Generals” (i.e., the three A siblings, leaders of the Bo people, who were posthumously honored as the “Three Sage Generals” during the Kangxi era). According to Buddhist doctrines and the “Book of Rites,” temples are for worshipping transcendent Buddhas, while shrines are for enshrining historically significant figures who have been deified and idolized for their contributions to the nation. Why Banbian Temple worships both Buddha and deities remains a topic of much speculation without a definitive answer, but the reverence and admiration for the brave Bo people heroes who fought to the death for ethnic equality and freedom are evident. Sadly, the heads of the three statues were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so what visitors see now are the original bodies paired with newly restored heads. The reverence and admiration for the brave Bo people heroes who fought to the death for ethnic equality and freedom are evident. Sadly, the heads of the three statues were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, so what visitors see now are the original bodies paired with newly restored heads.

The temple is surrounded by steep, rugged peaks and crisscrossing ravines. The Nan Guang River flows swiftly past the temple, resembling a green silk ribbon. The temple environment is serene, with dense forests and bamboo groves, exuding an air of simplicity and elegance, with uniquely beautiful scenery. On the temple’s many cliff inscriptions, stone tablets, and plaques, there are also many verses left by literati and poets. Among them, the seven-character regulated verse inscribed by the Xuzhou Prefect during the Kangxi era is particularly noteworthy:

Grasping vines, treading cliffs, ascending steps,

Tracing the path to a realm where immortals dwell, a wondrous sight.

The spring murmurs as it rushes down the ravine,

Unintentionally, the mountain peak lets the hills chase the sky.

The high cliff remains untainted by dust,

The enduring ridge never shifts with wind and rain.