Lueyang Lingyan Temple

　　Lingyan Temple is situated on the eastern bank of the Jialing River at the waist of Yuxiu Mountain, 3.5 kilometers along Lingyan Road in Lueyang County, Shaanxi Province, and has been renowned since ancient times as the "Spiritual Cliff Cave Heaven." It is famous across the three provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan for its unique integration of two natural caves in the mountain cliffs and its seamless blend of natural and cultural landscapes, making it a distinctive sacred site of Buddhist enlightenment. It is a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit and a provincial-level scenic area. Also known as "Lingya Temple" or "Yaoshui Rock," the temple was first built during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty and is the largest Buddha cave in southern Shaanxi. The cave houses a stream that flows year-round, historically called "Medicinal Water," which contains various trace elements.

　　The temple features over 130 cliff inscriptions, earning it the nickname "Little Forest of Stone Tablets." Notably, the Han Dynasty Clerical Script inscription of the “Fu’ge Song” is highly regarded in the fields of calligraphy and epigraphy. International visitors, calligraphers, and scholars come every year to admire its strokes and charm, often left in awe. According to the cliff carvings in the cave and the "Jiajing-era Lueyang County Annals of the Ming Dynasty," Lingyan Temple was built during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is famed for its two large natural caves, which have attracted literati and poets throughout the ages. The great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu and Su Shi, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, once sailed on the Jialing River to visit Lingyan. The cliff carvings in Lingyan Temple form a natural treasure trove for the study of calligraphy and history. Notable cliff inscriptions include the Eastern Han Dynasty’s “Nange Song,” inscriptions from the Tang Dynasty's Kaicheng era, the "Lingyan Farewell Record," the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor Zhezong’s imperial calligraphy “Monument to Loyalty, Purity, and Integrity,” China’s earliest known traffic regulation — the ancient “Ritual Ordinance” carving, Du Fu’s poetry inscriptions, the “White Bone Pagoda Preface” stele, and other Song Dynasty cliff carvings at Lingyan (25 pieces), among others.

　　The front cave of Lingya Temple has an entrance about 25 meters high, over 50 meters wide, and around 100 meters deep. By the cave entrance, atop the cliff, stands the colorful Wangjiang Tower (River-Watching Tower). Inside the inner cave, there is a large golden Buddha statue shining brilliantly, said to be the largest in southern Shaanxi. Behind the Buddha is an even deeper cave known as the Golden Turtle Cave. The interior is pitch dark, and visitors feel they might easily bump their heads or scrape their noses if they raise them too high. Inside lives a large golden turtle with a gentle expression.

　　Between the two caves is a spring that flows westward into the Jialing River. It is said that the spring water can clear the head and eyes, nourish the stomach and intestines, and has the effect of purifying the heart and improving vision, hence the name "Medicinal Water." To the right of this cave lies the "Medicinal Water Cliff," which in spring and summer is filled with birdsong and floral fragrance, keeping visitors lingering.

　　In the rear cave, there is a plump, serene, and sleeping natural stalactite Buddha. This lifelike natural stalactite Buddha is draped in a monk’s robe, with eyes gently closed, chest and belly exposed, and lying sideways barefoot. In the dim, tranquil, and mysterious atmosphere of the cave, it is said that if you rub the part of the thousand-year-old Sleeping Buddha that corresponds to your pain, you will be immediately cured. Even today, visitors still touch the Sleeping Buddha while making wishes. Beside the Sleeping Buddha in the rear cave stands a naturally formed stalactite pillar, as if supporting the entire cave. It is said that rubbing the "pillar" can make one a future pillar of society. Visitors frequently touch the pillar, and over time, it has become increasingly shiny. When sunlight shines through, it sparkles with a silvery glow, hence it is called the "Jade Pillar."

　　Address: Middle section of Lingyan Road, 3 kilometers southeast of Lueyang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province