More than 20 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan, Mengshan has carved a huge Buddha statue with a total height of nearly 30 meters, which is the Mengshan Giant Buddha
The excavation of the Mengshan Giant Buddha is related to the Northern Qi royal family, the capital of Northern Qi is in Yicheng, but the imperial family has deep feelings for Jinyang (present-day Taiyuan), often traveling between Jinyang and Yicheng, according to records, Northern Qi Wenxuan Emperor Gao Yang Tianbao excavated the Big Buddha in the last year
【Taiyuan Mengshan Giant Buddha】
The Book of Northern Qi says that "chiseling the western mountain of Jinyang for the big Buddha statue, a night of oil, illuminating the palace", it should be the Mengshan Giant Buddha, The Jinyang of the Northern Qi Dynasty is not the present Taiyuan, but the ruins of the ancient city of Jinyang in the plain under the Mengshan Great Buddha Mountain, so the lights offered in front of the Big Buddha can be seen from Jinyang, and the big Buddha faces southeast, which is the direction of the ancient city of Jinyang
【Mengshan Giant Buddha】
【Location of Mengshan Giant Buddha】
【Shi Wengzhong in front of the tomb of Gao Yang in Ci County, Hebei Province】
In the long course of history, the Great Buddha was gradually abandoned and abandoned, the Buddha's head fell off, and the Buddha's body was lost in the wild grass, until recent years, it was rediscovered, and the current Buddha's head was re-molded
Before the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan guarded Taiyuan, once watched the Great Buddha, and had an auspicious dream at night, not knowing whether it was psychologically helpful to the rebellion against the Sui
According to the records of the "Fayuan Zhulin", in the fifth year of Xianqing (660), Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian came to Jinyang to visit the Kaihua Temple Giant Buddha in Xishan, two hundred feet high, referring to the Mengshan Giant Buddha, and also went to the Tongzi Temple Giant Buddha, one hundred and seventy feet high, the Tongzi Temple is not far south of the Mengshan Giant Buddha, due to the serious weathering of the sand and stone material, the outline of the Big Buddha can no longer be seen, but the Buddha Pavilion ruins and the Northern Qi stone lamp are still there, and the location can still be found
【Ruins of Tongzi Temple】
In the second year of Long Shuo (662), Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian gave two great Buddhas and two collared robes, and the Fayuan Zhulin records the grand situation of the giant Buddha of Tongzi Temple wearing robes: "Taoist customs and customs, tens of millions of people", it can be seen that it is two huge robes, and in the photos of the previous years, the Mengshan Buddha really wore yellow robes, restoring the grandeur of that time
【Mengshan Giant Buddha Wearing Robes (Network Photo)】
【Qianling of Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian in Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province】
The front of the Big Buddha was originally covered with a Buddhist Pavilion, during the Five Dynasties Period Liu Zhiyuan li "Rebuilding mengshan Kaihua Baoyan Pavilion Record", now only the remnants of the stele, but there are complete inscriptions passed down, there are detailed records in the inscription, the Buddha Pavilion was built in the first year of Sui Renshou (601), Emperor Gaozong Wu Zetian visited and the Big Buddha wore robes when there was a Buddha Pavilion, more than two hundred years later Tang Wuzong period did not want to see Buddhism, the Buddhist Pavilion was demolished, but the Great Buddha still exists, more than fifty years later, Li Ke used to rebuild the Buddhist Pavilion, and after nearly fifty years, Liu Zhiyuan, the King of Beiping, saw that "the Pavilion fell to the throne, and the Buddha statue collapsed". The Great Pavilion was rebuilt, and two years later Liu Zhiyuan entered the Central Plains and established the Five Dynasties Later Han Dynasty
【Henan Yuzhou Hou Han Gaozu Liu Zhiyuan Rui Mausoleum】
In recent years, archaeological excavations have been carried out in the Buddhist Pavilion in front of the Great Buddha, and an inscription tile has been unearthed: "Qianning Bingchen (896) built the Pavilion, and the King of Jin repaired this merit", the King of Jin refers to Li Keyong, who was in charge of Shanxi, confirming that Li Keyong once rebuilt the Buddhist Pavilion during the period
【Qianning three-year inscription tile, picture source see watermark】
【Shanxi Dai County Li Keyong Jianji Mausoleum】