This is Xiaoyu's travel diary, stop and go, and see Xi'an with me.
There are many famous temples in Xi'an, such as Daci'en Temple (Big Wild Goose Pagoda), Guangren Temple, Qinglong Temple, Daxingshan Temple, etc., all of which have been famous, or because of the profound heritage, or because of the majesty of the ancient building, or the tranquility of the environment...... There are many tourists and pilgrims.
Today I would like to introduce you to a small temple, it has a very large origin, in history and the Great Grace Temple (Big Wild Goose Pagoda), Jianfu Temple (Little Wild Goose Pagoda) as famous, but now it is hidden in the noisy residential area obscurity.
It is the temple of the gods.
It is one of the three major royal temples of the Tang Dynasty, which was founded in the first year of the Shenlong of the Tang Dynasty (705) and has a history of more than 1,300 years.
There were three royal monasteries in Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty: the Great Grace Temple (Big Wild Goose Pagoda) was built by Tang Gaozong Li Zhi for the blessing of his mother Empress Wende, the Recommendation Temple (Little Wild Goose Pagoda) was built by Empress Wu Zetian for the blessing of her husband Gaozong Li Zhi, and the Gangji Temple was built by Princess Taiping for the blessing of her mother Wu Zetian.
The name of the temple is very different from the rest of the world. In fact, the word "reckless" is taken from the sentence "If you want to repay virtue with virtue, Haotian is reckless", which means to express the infinite filial piety of children to their parents.
Because of a temple, we seem to have a meeting with two of the most powerful women in Chinese history, which is the magic of time and space unique to monuments.
The location of the temple is between the Tang Daming Palace and the Xingqing Palace, which was a royal temple dedicated to the royal court ceremonies, and ordinary people have no right to enter. Ancient books once used "poor and gorgeous" to describe its magnificence, but thousands of years have passed, and now the temple is hidden in the residential area of Dongguan Paofang Street in Xi'an, becoming a small temple full of fireworks.
The temple is not big, there are only three courtyards in total, and there is a small garden with a few peacocks. Several times when I visited, I always met the residents around who came to see the peacocks with their children.
In the 70s of the last century, the temple was used as a kindergarten. At that time, there was a child named Jiang Ming who went to kindergarten here, and later, he became a folk singer and made a music album called "Gangji Temple".
Jiang Ming wrote in the preface to the album "Gangji Temple", "The Buddha and I both live in the Gangji Temple, he is a thousand years old, and I am three years old...... Running and frolicking between the pavilions and pavilions, is a group of naughty children who do not know awe, the Daxiong Treasure Hall is a bedroom, the Buddha statue is not destroyed, draped in red and hung green, the hall is a neat bed, sleep and meet the Buddha's gaze looking down on the world, this gaze has been on me for three years, I stubbornly remember that the light between our eyes is clear and transparent, and the gray world outside the wall is separated by a distant and jerky distance......"
Look, this is Xi'an! This is Chang'an!
People walk through the long river of history and meet those great souls.
Even a small temple in an inconspicuous residential area hides such a glorious past. If you accidentally step into it, you will open a door to history.
If you pass by Dongguan one day, you might as well go to the Gangji Temple for a stroll. Compared to the traffic outside the red wall, this is still a quiet place, suitable for contemplation and nostalgia.
Finally, some practical travel information, friends who want to come can refer to:
Coordinates: Xi'an Dongguan Paofang Street Gangji Temple
Admission: Free
Transportation: You can take Metro Line 6 to "Changlemen" station, walk for 5 minutes after exiting the station at Exit D, or take the bus to "Dongmen" station or "Jishigui" station, enter along the Paofang Street, there are signs along the way, it is very easy to find.
Surroundings: A ten-minute walk from the Gangji Temple, there is the Eight Immortals Nunnery, the largest Taoist temple in Xi'an, which can be visited together.
If you want to know more about unpopular and interesting tourist destinations, you are welcome to pay attention to "Xiaoyu's Travel Diary". Discover more of the world with Xiaoyu!