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The Cloud Platform at Juyongguan () is a mid-14th-century architectural feature situated in the Guangou Valley at the
The platform was built between 1342 and 1345, during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the
The Cloud Platform at Juyongguan () is a mid-14th-century architectural feature situated in the Guangou Valley at the Juyongguan
Juyong Pass () is a mountain pass located in the Changping District of Beijing Municipality, over from central Beijing. The Great Wall of China passes through, and the Cloud Platform was built here in the year 1342.
Mountain pass
Geography
...
Pass of the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
, in the Changping District
Changping District (), formerly Changping County (), is a district situated in the suburbs of north and northwest Beijing.
History
Changping County and Jundu County which administered the area were established in the Han Dynasty. Changping was i ...
of Beijing Municipality, about northwest of central Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Although the structure looks like a gateway, it was originally the base for three white dagobas or stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
s, with a passage through it, a type of structure known as a "crossing street tower" (). The platform is renowned for its Buddhist carvings and for its Buddhist inscriptions in six languages. The Cloud Platform was the 98th site included in the first batch of 180 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level
A Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National LevelEnglish translation for "全国重点文物保护单位" varies, it includes Major Site (to Be) Protected for Its Historical and Cultural Value at the National Level, Major Histo ...
as designated by the State Council of China
The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...
in April 1961.
History
The platform was built between 1342 and 1345, during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
, by imperial command. It was part of the Buddhist Yongming Baoxiang Temple (), which was situated at the Juyongguan
Juyong Pass () is a mountain pass located in the Changping District of Beijing Municipality, over from central Beijing. The Great Wall of China passes through, and the Cloud Platform was built here in the year 1342.
Mountain pass
Geography
...
Pass northwest of the capital, Dadu (modern Beijing). The road from the capital to the summer capital, Shangdu
Shangdu (, ), also known as Xanadu (; Mongolian: ''Šandu''), was the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty of China before Kublai decided to move his throne to the former Jin dynasty capital of Zhōngdū () which was renamed Khanbaliq ( presen ...
, in the north went through this pass, and so the emperor would pass through the temple at least twice a year. The temple had a north gate and a south gate, and the platform supporting three white dagobas was constructed on the inside of the south gate of the temple. The passageway underneath the dagobas was wide enough to allow pedestrians and carts to pass through into the temple.
It is recorded that in 1343 the official Ouyang Xuan (, 1283–1358) was paid 50 tael
Tael (),"Tael" entry
at the
By the early
The Cloud Platform is a rectangular structure, with sloping walls clad in white marble. The dimensions of the structure are at the base and at the top, and the structure is in height. The top of the platform is surrounded by a marble
The inscriptions on the inside walls of the platform are written in six different scripts:
*
* Top panel (0.40 m high): 4 lines of horizontal Lanydza text in large characters
* Middle panel (0.55 m high):
** 2 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
** 4 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in small characters (Tibetan translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
* Bottom panel (1.55 m high) divided into four sections (from left to right):
** Vertical columns of 'Phags-pa text running from left to right (1.58 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 8 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in small characters (Mongolian translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
** Vertical columns of Old Uyghur text running from left to right (1.44 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 13 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in small characters (Uyghur translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
** Vertical columns of Tangut text running from right to left (1.73 m wide):
*** 27 columns of vertical Tangut text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 11 columns of vertical Tangut text in small characters (Tangut translation of the "Record of Merits")
** Vertical columns of Chinese text running from right to left (1.58 m wide):
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in small characters (Chinese translation of the "Record of Merits")
* Top panel (0.40 m high): 4 lines of horizontal Lanydza text in large characters
* Middle panel (0.55 m high):
** 3 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
** 4 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in small characters (Tibetan translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
* Bottom panel (1.55 m high) divided into four sections (from left to right):
** Vertical columns of 'Phags-pa text running from left to right (1.58 m wide):
*** 19 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 14 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in small characters (Mongolian translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
** Vertical columns of Old Uyghur text running from left to right (1.50 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 14 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in small characters (Uyghur translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
** Vertical columns of Tangut text running from right to left (1.72 m wide):
*** 26 columns of vertical Tangut text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 13 columns of vertical Tangut text in small characters (summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Tangut language)
** Vertical columns of Chinese text running from right to left (1.58 m wide):
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 20 columns of vertical Chinese text in small characters (summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Chinese language)
The summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Chinese is concluded with an inscription specifying that it was written on an auspicious day of the 9th month of the 5th year of the Zhizheng era (1345) by a monk called Decheng () from the Baoji Temple () in
at the
stelae
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
to commemorate the completion of the "crossing street tower" at Juyongguan. However, the small Chinese inscription on the west wall of the platform is dated the 9th month of the 5th year of the Zhizheng era (1345), so the engravings and inscriptions must have taken two more years to complete.
The Qing Dynasty scholar Gu Yanwu
Gu Yanwu () (July 15, 1613 – February 15, 1682), also known as Gu Tinglin (), was a Chinese philologist, geographer, and famous scholar-official in Qing dynasty. He spent his youth during the Manchu conquest of China in anti-Manchu activities a ...
(1613–1682) suggested that the construction of the Cloud Platform was begun in 1326, on the basis that the ''History of Yuan
The ''History of Yuan'' (''Yuán Shǐ''), also known as the ''Yuanshi'', is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' of China. Commissioned by the court of the Ming dynasty, in accordance to political ...
'' records that a Uyghur official called Uduman () was sent to carve dharani
Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...
s in the language of the western barbarians (i.e. Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
) on the rockface at Juyongguan. However, the inscriptions referred to here are probably not the inscriptions on the Cloud Platform, and so modern scholarship dates the construction of the Cloud Platform to 1342 or 1343.
By the early Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
(1368–1644) two of the three dagobas on the platform had collapsed or had been dismantled. By the reign of the Zhengtong Emperor
Emperor Yingzong of Ming (; 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464), personal name Zhu Qizhen (), was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor () in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in 1 ...
(1427–1464) no dagobas remained, and the structure was given the name "Cloud Platform", because from a distance it seemed to rise out of the clouds. A project to restore the platform was carried out between 1443 and 1450. When the platform was surveyed by a Japanese expedition in 1943 a stele commemorating the restoration, dated 1448, was found on top of the platform. However, the restoration was not completed until 1450, as evidenced by an inscription on the far right-hand side of the inner west wall of the platform, dated the 15th day of the 5th month of the 15th year of the Zhengtong era (1450), that records that the restoration was carried out by a benefactor named as Lin Puxian (). The restoration involved building a five-roomed wooden Buddhist hall, called the Tai'an Temple (), on top of the platform, in place of the original dagobas.
In 1702, in the 41st year of the reign of the Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...
there was a fire, and the Buddhist hall on top of the platform burnt down. The platform was not restored again, and by the time it was surveyed by a Japanese expedition in 1943 it was in a state of neglect and disrepair. In 1961 the platform was repaired, and the balustrades around the top were restored. The platform is now surrounded by a carpark. Several hundred meters from the Cloud Platform in adjoining carparks are sections of the Great Wall going up both sides of the Valley, often crowded with tourists climbing up to panoramic views. Most are not aware of the Cloud Platform, which is easy to miss from both the ground and the viewpoints up the mountains.
Description
The Cloud Platform is a rectangular structure, with sloping walls clad in white marble. The dimensions of the structure are at the base and at the top, and the structure is in height. The top of the platform is surrounded by a marble balustrade
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
, with marble dragonhead gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
s at the base of each pillar, in total 54 small gargoyles around the edges and four large gargoyles at the corners. A passageway runs through the platform in a north–south orientation, with a semi-octagonal arch, wide and high, at either end.
The edges of the arches on both sides, and the inner walls and ceilings of the passageway are decorated with bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
carvings of Buddhist images, as well as inscriptions of Buddhist texts in six different scripts. The Buddhist iconography is typical of the Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
, and was intended to bring blessings on those who passed through the passageway, and to protect the Yuan state and its capital from misfortune.
Both the north and the south arch have the same symmetrical decoration. On each side of each arch is a crossed vajra
The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force).
The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...
(''viśvavajra''), above which is an elephant surmounted by a youth riding a mythical creature. At the peak of each arch is a garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...
catching a pair of half-human, half-snake nagaraja
Nagaraja ( sa, नागराज ', ) is a title used to refer to the nagas, the serpent-like figures that appear in Indian religions. It refers to the kings of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpen ...
.
The ends of the inner walls are decorated with large images, , of the Four Heavenly Kings
The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...
(also known as the four Deva Kings), each with various attendants, and treading on demons or ghosts:
* Deva King of the North (Sanskrit ; ), holding a parasol, on the north end of the west wall
* Deva King of the South (Sanskrit ; ), holding a sword, on the south end of the east wall
* Deva King of the East (Sanskrit ; ), holding a lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...
, on the north end of the east wall
* Deva King of the West (Sanskrit ; ), holding a serpent, on the south end of the west wall
On the inner walls between the Heavenly Kings are inscriptions of the Sanskrit text of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown" and the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in six different scripts, as well as translations of the "Record of Merits in the Construction of the Pagoda" in five languages, and summaries of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in two languages (see below for details). The sloping walls of the ceiling are decorated with the Buddhas of the Ten Directions, five on each side, with the space between them taken up with small images of the Thousand Buddhas of the present kalpa
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu, Olvi Areena.
Team history
Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club r ...
. The flat ceiling at the top is decorated with five mandala
A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...
s of the Five Dhyani Buddhas
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awar ...
.
Inscriptions
The inscriptions on the inside walls of the platform are written in six different scripts:
* Lanydza script
The Rañjanā script (Lantsa) is an abugida writing system which developed in the 11th centuryJwajalapa
(used to write Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
)
* Tibetan script
The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system (''abugida'') of Brahmic scripts, Indic origin used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese language, Sikkimese, Ladakhi language, Ladakhi, Jire ...
(used to write the Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to:
* Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
* Lhasa Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect
* Any of the other Tibetic languages
See also
*Old Tibetan, the language ...
)
* ʼPhags-pa script
The Phags-pa script is an alphabet designed by the Tibetan monk and State Preceptor (later Imperial Preceptor) Drogön Chögyal Phagpa for Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, as a unified script for the written languages within the Yu ...
(created at the command of Kublai Khan
Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...
, and used to write Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
, Mongolian and Uyghur)
* Old Uyghur script (used to write the Old Uyghur language
Old Uyghur () was a Turkic language which was spoken in Qocho from the 9th–14th centuries and in Gansu.
History
The Old Uyghur language evolved from Old Turkic after the Uyghur Khaganate broke up and remnants of it migrated to Turfan, Qomu ...
)
* Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
(used to write Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
)
* Tangut script
The Tangut script ( Tangut: ; ) was a logographic writing system, used for writing the extinct Tangut language of the Western Xia dynasty. According to the latest count, 5863 Tangut characters are known, excluding variants. The Tangut character ...
(used to write the Tangut language
Tangut (Tangut: ; ) is an extinct language in the Sino-Tibetan language family.
Tangut was one of the official languages of the Western Xia dynasty, founded by the Tangut people in northwestern China. The Western Xia was annihilated by the Mongo ...
)
Each of these six scripts is used to transcribe the Sanskrit text of two Buddhist dharani
Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...
-sutras (a type of ritual incantation) in large characters, one dharani-sutra in each script on each wall:
* () on the east wall
* () on the west wall
In addition to the two Sanskrit dharani-sutras written in large characters in all six scripts, five of the scripts (not Lanydza) are used to write the "Record of Merits in the Construction of the Pagoda" in one of five different languages, in small characters:
* Tibetan version of the "Record of Merits" in Tibetan script
* Mongolian version of the "Record of Merits" in 'Phags-pa script
* Uyghur version of the "Record of Merits" in Old Uyghur script
* Chinese version of the "Record of Merits" in Chinese characters
* Tangut version of the "Record of Merits" in Tangut script
The Tibetan, Mongolian and Uyghur versions of the "Record of Merits" are written over both the east and west walls, whereas the Chinese and Tangut versions are complete on the east wall, and the small script Chinese and Tangut inscriptions on the west wall are explanatory summaries in the Chinese and Tangut languages of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart".
East wall
The inscriptions on the east inner wall of the passageway are laid out as below:
* Top panel (0.40 m high): 4 lines of horizontal Lanydza text in large characters
* Middle panel (0.55 m high):
** 2 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
** 4 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in small characters (Tibetan translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
* Bottom panel (1.55 m high) divided into four sections (from left to right):
** Vertical columns of 'Phags-pa text running from left to right (1.58 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 8 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in small characters (Mongolian translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
** Vertical columns of Old Uyghur text running from left to right (1.44 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 13 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in small characters (Uyghur translation of the "Record of Merits", part 1)
** Vertical columns of Tangut text running from right to left (1.73 m wide):
*** 27 columns of vertical Tangut text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 11 columns of vertical Tangut text in small characters (Tangut translation of the "Record of Merits")
** Vertical columns of Chinese text running from right to left (1.58 m wide):
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown")
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in small characters (Chinese translation of the "Record of Merits")
West wall
The inscriptions on the west inner wall of the passageway are laid out as below:
* Top panel (0.40 m high): 4 lines of horizontal Lanydza text in large characters
* Middle panel (0.55 m high):
** 3 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
** 4 lines of horizontal Tibetan text in small characters (Tibetan translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
* Bottom panel (1.55 m high) divided into four sections (from left to right):
** Vertical columns of 'Phags-pa text running from left to right (1.58 m wide):
*** 19 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 14 columns of vertical 'Phags-pa text in small characters (Mongolian translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
** Vertical columns of Old Uyghur text running from left to right (1.50 m wide):
*** 20 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 14 columns of vertical Old Uyghur text in small characters (Uyghur translation of the "Record of Merits", part 2)
** Vertical columns of Tangut text running from right to left (1.72 m wide):
*** 26 columns of vertical Tangut text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 13 columns of vertical Tangut text in small characters (summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Tangut language)
** Vertical columns of Chinese text running from right to left (1.58 m wide):
*** 21 columns of vertical Chinese text in large characters (transcription of the Sanskrit "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart")
*** 20 columns of vertical Chinese text in small characters (summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Chinese language)
The summary of the "Dharani-Sutra of the Tathagata Heart" in Chinese is concluded with an inscription specifying that it was written on an auspicious day of the 9th month of the 5th year of the Zhizheng era (1345) by a monk called Decheng () from the Baoji Temple () in Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
. The Old Uyghur version of the "Record of Merits" is also concluded with a date, but it is now damaged, and all that can be made out is the Zhizheng era.
See also
*Mani stone
Mani stones are stone plates, rocks or pebbles inscribed with the six-syllabled mantra of Avalokiteshvara ('' Om mani padme hum'', hence the name ''mani stone''), as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. The term mani stone may also be used to ...
* Stele of Sulaiman
The Stele of Sulaiman is a Yuan Dynasty stele that was erected in 1348 to commemorate the benefactors and donors to a Buddhist temple at the Mogao Caves southeast of Dunhuang in Gansu, China. The principal benefactor is named as Sulaiman (), Prince ...
– a 1348 stele at the Mogao Caves
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu p ...
with the Buddhist mantra
A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...
''Om mani padme hum
' ( sa, ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ, ) is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It first appeared in the Mahayana ''Kāraṇ ...
'' inscribed in the same six scripts as at the Cloud platform.
* Yongning Temple Stele
The Yongning Temple Stele () is a stele erected by the Chinese Ming dynasty in 1413 with a trilingual inscription to commemorate the founding of the Yongning Temple (永寧寺) in the Nurgan outpost, near the mouth of the Amur River, by the eunu ...
, 1413 stele with ''Om mani padme hum'' inscribed in four scripts
* Tangut dharani pillars – two 1502 dharani pillar
A dharani pillar (), sutra pillar, or jingchuang () is a type of stone pillar engraved with ''Dharani, dhāraṇī''-Sutra, sūtras or simple ''dhāraṇī'' incantations that is found in China. Dharani pillars were usually erected outside Buddhis ...
s inscribed with the ''Dharani-sutra of the Victorious Buddha-Crown'' in Tangut script
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
* *External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cloud Platform at Juyongguan Buddhism in Beijing Buildings and structures completed in 1345 Buildings and structures in Beijing Changping District Chinese architectural history Pagodas in China Great Wall of China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Tangut script Tibetan script Tourist attractions in Beijing Yuan dynasty architecture