Nangong Putong Temple Geography Travel Notes

Introduction to Qunangong Putong Pagoda Temple

Putong Pagoda Temple is located 1.5 kilometers northwest of Nangong City, on the northeast side of Jiucheng Village, at 115°21′19″ east longitude. North latitude 37°22′07″, altitude 28 meters. It faces Nangong Lake (Qunying Lake) to the east and north. The lake here is clear, the environment is elegant, and the scenery is charming. Tong Pagoda Lingyun is a summary of the scenery of Putong Pagoda and Putong Temple, the first pagoda temple in China. It was one of the ten scenic spots in Nangong in ancient times.

According to historical records, Putong Temple was built in the 10th year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 67), one year earlier than the famous Baima Temple in Luoyang, Henan. Putong Pagoda was built in the 10th year of Yongping (67 AD) of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was completed on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 15th year of Yongping, two years earlier than the White Horse Pagoda in Luoyang. It can be called "the first pagoda in China". In 1982, Putong Pagoda was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit in Hebei Province.

Putong Pagoda was built under the leadership of the Indian Tripitaka master Shemo Teng and the Indian Indian scholar Zhu Falan. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "It is said that Emperor Ming slept in the Nangong at night and dreamed of a golden man growing up with a light on his head, so he asked his officials. Or he said: 'There is a god in the west, named Buddha. His shape is six feet long, and "Golden". The emperor then sent Tianzhu to inquire about Buddhism and Taoism, and then he wrote in the "Biography of Eminent Monks" Volume 1: "Emperor Liu Zhuang Yongpingzhong sent his doctor Cai Min and his doctor disciple Qin Jing to Tianzhu in the Western Regions. Seeking Buddhism, I met Mo Teng and Zhu Falan in Yuezhi (today's Afghanistan - author's note) and invited them to come to China..." According to the Ming and Qing editions of "Nangong County Chronicles", Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty Liu Zhuang followed his father Guang. Emperor Wu Liu Xiu was chased by Wang Lang. He hurriedly crossed the Hutuo River and encountered a heavy storm when he arrived at Nangong. He took shelter in an empty house, burned his clothes on the stove, ate and rested, and escaped Wang Lang's pursuit. Liu Xiu said that this place was a geomantic treasure, and later generations A pavilion was erected in the empty house and was called "Great Wind Pavilion". According to legend, when She Mo Teng and Zhu Falan were on their way to Luoyang, Emperor Ming Liu Zhuang ordered them to build a pagoda near Dafeng Pavilion in Nangong.

In the long years of wind and rain, Putong Pagoda has undergone eight major repairs. They were in the fourth year of Taihe (AD 230) in the Wei (Three Kingdoms), the fourth year of Zhenguan (AD 630) in the Tang Dynasty, the first year of Daguan in the Song Dynasty (AD 1107), the fifteenth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1536), and the tenth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. (1884 AD), the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933 AD), and 1984 and 1992 after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In the 1966 Xingtai earthquake, the body of the Putong Pagoda was damaged, and three bronze Buddha statues were knocked off the top of the tower. They were all red copper Bodhisattva statues, which were cast during the pagoda construction in the 15th year of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty. The largest one is Guanyin Bodhisattva. The inscription is engraved on the back of the Buddha statue: "On the 15th day of the first lunar month in the tenth year of Yongping in the Han Dynasty, it was built by Tengzhu Fanglan. It was rebuilt by Monk Hai on the fifth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Taihe. It was rebuilt by Monk Hai in July of the 15th year of Jiajing. On the 15th, Qingjiang and Qinghai presided over the reconstruction..." The inscription provides precious historical information on the construction and reconstruction years of the tower. In 1992, during the reconstruction of Putong Temple, Master Hongchuan discovered the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of Putong Pagoda Temple" in the 11th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty. In the fourth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Dayer rebuilt it, with a base of 32 Wu and a height of ten Ren. It is one of the ten scenic spots in the city and has an old origin..."

This pagoda is an octagonal solid brick pagoda. , Level 9, the tower is 33 meters high, and the diameter of the bottom floor is 5 meters. The tower body has eaves at each level, and brackets are placed under the eaves. Directly south of the Xumizuo of the pagoda, there is a doorway that reaches to the center of the pagoda. There is a brick well under the center of the pagoda, and three stone Buddhas sit on the east, west and north sides of the well. This kind of Buddhist niche construction method is really rare. The pagoda has many unique features in its architectural style, which provides valuable information for the study of Chinese Buddhist architectural art. The name of the pagoda is derived from the word "Putong", which is derived from the Buddhist scripture "Miaofa Lotus Sutra ● Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Universal Door": "Putong means universal." "Pudu" in Buddhism refers to the great kindness and compassion to save all sentient beings. "Tong" means vermilion. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the palace where the empress lived was painted in red and was called "Tongting". Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined in the temple behind this pagoda. The pagoda body and temple are both in vermilion color, hence the word "tong". Therefore, the pagoda was named "Putong Pagoda" and the temple behind the pagoda was called "Putong Temple". Putong Temple was later destroyed in the war, and the current temple was rebuilt in September 1996.

A holy place must have a famous temple, and the Taoist temple condenses the relationship with Buddha.

After the reform and opening up, people's enthusiasm for respecting the Buddha was fully unleashed. In 1992, the Nangong Municipal People's Government respected the wishes of the masses and approved the Provincial Buddhist Association's proposal to build another famous temple and repair the Putong Temple, the first temple in China. In October 1992, Master Hongchuan, who was hailed as "China's first patriotic monk" by Zhao Puchu, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Buddhist Association of China, was appointed abbot of Putong Temple. After several years of hard work, Putong Temple was basically completed in September 1996, and the completion and consecration ceremony of the Buddha statue was held on September 26. Master Jinghui, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China and president of the Buddhist Association of Hebei Province, specifically pointed out in his speech at the celebration: "I would like to emphasize that this temple should be said to be the first temple where Buddhism came from the East, because this temple is one year earlier than the White Horse Temple. Years. We have not publicized this historical fact for so many years because it has not yet grown in scale. Now this place has established a large scale, gathered four people, and is managed normally. Here we can solemnly announce to all walks of life: China’s real No. 1 temple is in Hebei. Nangong City, Nangong Province, is our Putong Temple.”

In order to explore historical and cultural resources, build the first pagoda and temple brand in China, develop tourism, and promote rapid economic development, November 23-25, 2007. On the same day, Nangong City, Hebei Normal University and the Hebei Buddhist Association jointly held a large-scale seminar commemorating the 1940th anniversary of the establishment of the Putong Pagoda Temple in Xi Nangong, the cultural envoys of China and India, including Moteng and Zhu Falan. Qi Xiaofei, deputy director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, and Hebei More than 20 provincial and municipal leaders including Zhang Baoyan, director of the Provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and more than 30 well-known domestic experts and scholars in Buddhism and history and culture, including Huang Xinchuan and Huang Xiannian of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Ma Tianxiang of Wuhan University, and Hebei Normal University and Shandong Normal University, As well as more than 50 eminent monks from the Buddhist Association of China, the Buddhist Association of Hebei Province, and famous mountain and ancient temples such as Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, and Mount Putuo. More than 10,000 people from the local and surrounding counties and cities attended the opening ceremony. Leaders at all levels, experts, scholars, People from the Buddhist community participated in the seminar, visited exhibitions of the bronze Buddha statues on Putong Pagoda and the white marble Buddha statues from the Southern and Northern Dynasties unearthed in recent years, watched the special video of Putong Pagoda Temple, carefully reviewed relevant historical materials, and followed the principles of "seeking truth from facts, scientific Based on the principle of "rigor", starting from their respective research fields, combined with a large number of Buddhist historical relics in Nangong, quoting scriptures, and expressing their own opinions, they conducted an in-depth discussion on the origin of Putong Pagoda Temple and the status and influence of Nangong in the spread of Chinese Buddhism, and finally reached a consensus The opinions established the historical status of Putong Pagoda Temple as the first pagoda and the first temple in China. The splendid history and culture of Nangong Putong Pagoda and Temple are shining brightly like pearls from the dust, and the holy land of Nangong Paradise is glowing with dazzling brilliance day by day.