#Pusa Ding (Bodhisattva Top) Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Temples
Address:
Inside Taihuai Town, Wutai Mountain Scenic Spot, Wutai County, Xinzhou City (about 500 meters northeast of Xiantong Temple)
Recommended sightseeing time:
1-3 hour
Phone:
0350-6548690
Three-day Buddhist Enlightenment Tour of Mount Wutai
📆【Travel Guide】
📆Itinerary:
Day 1: Taiyuan—>Mount Wutai, visit: Zunsheng Temple, Qingliang Temple, Jinge Temple
Day 2: Visit: Nanshan Temple, Bodhisattva Summit, Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Shuxiang Temple, Wuye Temple
Day 3: Visit: Zhenhai Temple, Mount Wutai—>Taiyuan
🚗Transportation Guide:
1. Mount Wutai has an airport located in Dingxiang County, Xinzhou City, with airport shuttle buses going directly to the Mount Wutai scenic area
2. More people travel to Mount Wutai via Taiyuan. Taiyuan Wusu Airport has direct round-trip shuttle buses to the Mount Wutai scenic area, with a one-way trip taking 2.5 hours, using SAIC Maxus 9-seater MPVs.
3. Inside the Mount Wutai Scenic Area, there is Bus No. 8: Dailuo Peak<—>Tourist Center, connecting many attractions, with very frequent services.
🌟Highlights of the Itinerary:
Mount Wutai is truly a Buddhist holy land with numerous temples. Below are the highlights of the temples I have visited:
1. Zunsheng Temple: Strictly speaking, Zunsheng Temple is not part of the Mount Wutai Scenic Area, but it is the first temple that pilgrims reached when they entered the mountain in ancient times, hence the plaque at the temple entrance reads: 'Throat of the Five Peaks'
2. Qingliang Temple: Allegedly the place where Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty became a monk. There is a 'Cooling Stone' in the temple, and there is a legend about the origin of the Cooling Stone, which you can search for if interested.
3. Jinge Temple: The only Guanyin Bodhisattva temple in Mount Wutai, with a 19-meter-tall, 42-armed Guanyin Buddha statue, as well as a reclining Buddha.
4. Nanshan Temple: The temple has exquisite brick and stone carvings, and the Yu Guo Temple side hall has a crystal carved Guanyin statue, which is delicate and transparent.
5. Bodhisattva Summit: A royal temple of the Qing Dynasty Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors, with several imperial steles.
6. Xiantong Temple: The first temple of Mount Wutai, with a white beamless hall and a golden copper hall.
7. Tayuan Temple: The iconic building of Mount Wutai: the Great White Pagoda (unfortunately, it is currently under renovation)
8. Shuxiang Temple: The main court of Manjushri Bodhisattva, housing the largest seated statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva in Mount Wutai
9. Wuye Temple: Also known as the Ten Thousand Buddha Pavilion, it enshrines the fifth son of the Dragon King. For the story of why the fifth son of the Dragon King is worshipped, please refer to the legend of the Cooling Stone in Qingliang Temple. Wuye Temple is the most efficacious temple for making wishes.
10. Zhenhai Temple: A Gelug sect Tibetan Buddhism temple
📌Small Tips:
1. The scenic area of Mount Wutai usually refers to the area within the five peaks of Mount Wutai (East Peak, West Peak, South Peak, North Peak, Central Peak), while Dailuo Peak, Bodhisattva Summit, Tayuan Temple, Shuxiang Temple, etc., are the core areas of the scenic area, centered around Taihuai Town. These core area temples can be reached by Bus No. 8 in the scenic area.
2. The area outside the five peaks of Mount Wutai, called 'Taiwai', includes national treasure-level buildings: Foguang Temple and Nanchan Temple, which are currently most conveniently reached by chartered car.
3. Private cars are currently allowed to enter the scenic area, and most temples can be reached by self-driving, with small parking lots at the temple entrances.
4. Bodhisattva Summit—>Xiantong Temple—>Tayuan Temple—>Wuye Temple—>Shuxiang Temple, these five temples are very close to each other and can be visited in succession, accessible by walking.
Emma Adams.81
Mount Wutai, the gateway to the Buddhist holy land in Shanxi
✨✨ Located in the northeast of Wutai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, Mount Wutai is the foremost among China's four famous Buddhist mountains, a holy land where Esoteric and Exoteric Buddhism coexist, and the sacred place of Manjushri Bodhisattva, who presides over wisdom. Today, I will share with you a detailed guide to a one-day tour of Mount Wutai.
1. Transportation🚖
Mount Wutai Airport is about 100 kilometers away from the scenic area, and Taiyuan Wusu Airport is 240 kilometers away. To get to Mount Wutai scenic area from Taiyuan, you need to go to Taiyuan East Bus Station to take a coach.
2. Tour Route🚸
Morning: Visit the most efficacious Wuye Temple for making wishes, the ancestral temple of Manjushri - Shuxiang Temple, the landmark temple Tayuan Temple, and Xiantong Temple, the first temple to be established on Mount Wutai.
Afternoon: Pay homage to the Wufang Manjushri on the top of Dailuo Peak, known as the 'Small Pilgrimage'.
3. Temple Introduction🙏🏻
【Wuye Temple】
Wuye Temple is the most popular temple on Mount Wutai. Originally a small temple belonging to Tayuan Temple, it became the most incense-burning temple on Mount Wutai due to the 'Wuye's' reputation for granting whatever is asked. As the saying goes, 'It's not the height of the mountain that makes it divine, but the presence of immortals; it's not the depth of the water that makes it divine, but the presence of dragons.'
【Shuxiang Temple】
Shuxiang Temple is the ancestral temple of Manjushri on Mount Wutai. The Great Manjushri Hall in the temple houses the largest statue of Manjushri on Mount Wutai. Manjushri Bodhisattva, who governs wisdom, is known as the teacher of Buddhas and has taught seven Buddhas, which speaks volumes about the vastness of Manjushri's wisdom.
【Xiantong Temple】
Xiantong Temple is the earliest and largest temple on Mount Wutai. Two thousand years ago, during the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, two high monks, She Moteng and Zhu Falan, built China's first temple - White Horse Temple - on the outskirts of the then capital, Luoyang. Xiantong Temple on Mount Wutai was built by these two monks after they came to Mount Wutai, making it the second temple on Chinese soil.
【Tayuan Temple】
In many people's minds, Mount Wutai is associated with a majestic and tall White Pagoda. This pagoda, officially named the Sakyamuni Relic Pagoda, was built during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era. Standing at 56.3 meters, it is a landmark of Mount Wutai. The temple where this pagoda is located is called Tayuan Temple, and as the name suggests, the temple is named after the pagoda.
【Dailuo Peak】
Dailuo Peak is located on a small mountain peak to the east of Taihuai Town. Ascending the 1080 steps of the 'Great Wisdom Path' from the foot of the mountain, you can worship the Wufang Manjushri Hall on the top of Dailuo Peak. The hall enshrines Manjushri from the east, west, south, north, and center, equivalent to paying homage to the Manjushri of the five peaks of Mount Wutai, hence the name 'Small Pilgrimage'.
4. Cost💰
Ticket: The entrance fee is 135 yuan. If you reserve a ticket through the 'Holy Land Service' official WeChat account, you will receive free explanations at three temples, free admission to Wuye Temple, Shuxiang Temple, 10 yuan for Bodhisattva Peak, 10 yuan for Xiantong Temple, 8 yuan for Dailuo Peak, and 10 yuan for Tayuan Temple.
Reserve tickets and parking spaces through the 'Holy Land Service' official WeChat account, and you will receive free explanations at three temples
CreativeCanvas
Exploring Mount Wutai: A Journey of Mystical Temples and Efficacious Prayers
Mount Wutai, a sacred Buddhist site, attracts countless devotees and tourists with its long history and profound religious culture. Let us embark on this spiritual journey, exploring the legendary temples and experiencing the unique blessings.
Day One Itinerary:
- Wuye Temple: Renowned as the most prosperous place for seeking wealth, opens at 7 am in summer and 7:30 am in winter. Devotees queue overnight to be the first to offer incense, silently chanting mantras to show sincerity.
- Tayuan Temple: Circling the white stupa clockwise is a traditional ritual for praying for blessings.
- Xiantong Temple: As the foremost of Mount Wutai's five major Zen sites, it carries a wealth of Buddhist culture.
- Bodhisattva Summit: The glory of the royal Tibetan monastery is awe-inspiring every morning.
- Dailuo Temple: Climbing 1080 steps to the Xiaochaotai for a different kind of spiritual baptism (cable car available in winter).
Day Two Itinerary:
- Dongtai Wanghaifeng Sunrise: Ascend to the top to witness the magnificent sunrise and feel the awe-inspiring power of nature.
- Shuxiang Temple: Home to the world's largest statue of Manjushri, the guardian of wisdom and academics.
- Fanxian Mountain: Climbing it offers a panoramic view of the entire core area's temples, an excellent place for seeking marriage.
About Vegetarian Meals:
Guanghua Temple and Puhua Temple serve delicious vegetarian food daily to help purify the body and mind, fostering wisdom and compassion.
Transportation and Accommodation:
You can opt for a private car or book a shuttle to the scenic area. Recommended accommodation is near Guanghua Temple for easy access to all major attractions.
Special Tips:
Do not miss the sunrise at Dongtai, one of the most spectacular natural beauties of Mount Wutai. As the sun rises from the peak of 2796 meters, thousands of golden rays fall upon the sea of clouds, with snow peaks and golden temples reflecting each other's glory, offering a spiritual baptism and a visual feast.
Please bring your devotion and expectations, Mount Wutai awaits your arrival, wishing your spiritual journey to be filled with tranquility and harmony.
ROSIE TAYLOR
You must visit Mount Wutai at least once!
Mount Wutai is vast, so vast that it would take more than a month to explore it all. Yet, Mount Wutai is also small, small enough that you can visit all the main attractions in just one day.
If you want to enjoy Mount Wutai thoroughly, it's better to go on a free-and-easy trip. However, if you just want to visit some of the main attractions or save some money, joining a tour group is the best option. The one-day tour packages for Mount Wutai are really affordable. You can depart from Taiyuan in the morning and return in the evening, with the guide introducing you to a few main attractions along the way, usually around three temples and one monastery. You can also increase the number of sites you visit according to your physical strength, such as climbing to the top of Dai Liao or the Bodhisattva Peak of Fanxian Mountain. I chose to join a tour group, and including the entrance fees, the total cost was less than 150 yuan. However, I only visited the Zunsheng Temple and Wuye Temple, and then went to climb the Bodhisattva Peak and Dai Liao Top. The entrance fee for Bodhisattva Peak is 10 yuan, and for Dai Liao Top is 8 yuan, which are additional costs.
The public buses in the Mount Wutai scenic area are free, and there are direct buses to all the main attractions. If you want to go to the five peaks, you need to take the scenic area's bus. Mount Wutai is quite high in altitude, and there is snow on the mountain tops. It is said that Mount Wutai is very efficacious; believe it, and you will find it true, doubt it, and you will not.
TravelSage
Mount Wutai Scenic Spot
Attraction Introduction
Mount Wutai Scenic Area, together with Mount Emei in Sichuan, Mount Jiuhua in Anhui, and Mount Putuo in Zhejiang, is known as the 'Four Famous Buddhist Mountains in China'. It is a famous Buddhist and tourist destination in China, ranking first among the top ten summer resorts in China.
Mount Wutai is located in the northeast of Shanxi Province, 230 kilometers away from the provincial capital Taiyuan. In 2009, it was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a cultural landscape.
Mount Wutai is named for its five peaks that rise like five pillars supporting the sky, with flat tops like terraces. Also, because the mountain's climate is often cold, even in the height of summer, it is also known as the 'Cool Mountain'.
Mount Wutai is full of unique peaks and spiritual cliffs, and with its long history and culture and large-scale temple buildings, it ranks first among the four famous Buddhist mountains.
As the only Buddhist site in China that has both Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism today, there are countless religious artworks in the temples of Mount Wutai, not only Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, attendants, donors, and Dharma protectors, but also Confucianism, Taoism, local beliefs, emperors and generals, monks and laymen. The constant Buddhist activities throughout the year make it a real Buddhist world. Every summer, tourists and pilgrims from home and abroad come to visit, burn incense and worship Buddha, and the stream of people is endless.
Best time to visit Mount Wutai: July-August every year
6:30-20:00 (There is no strict opening time for each temple, generally open at dawn and close at sunset)
Scenic Area Strategy
Two-day pilgrimage tour:
Although it is a bit rushed to visit Mount Wutai in two days, you can also visit some important temples:
Route one: Bodhisattva Top → Xiantong Temple → Tayuan Temple (Great White Pagoda) → Shuxiang Temple
Route two: Wuye Temple → Dailuo Top
Three-day Buddha worship tour:
In three days, you can basically visit all the main temples of Mount Wutai. This itinerary is of moderate intensity and is suitable for most leisure travelers:
Route one: Dailuo Top → Yuanzhao Temple → Bodhisattva Top → Xiantong Temple → Tayuan Temple (Great White Pagoda) → Shuxiang Temple → Jifu Temple
Route two: Qingliang Temple → Jinge Temple → Longquan Temple → Nanshan Temple → Nantai Top → Zhenhai Temple
Route three: Dongtai Top → Xitai → Bishan Temple
Four days to visit all the features of Shanxi, visit Wutai, Pingyao, Lin Hukou Waterfall, see Yungang Grottoes, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Shanxi.
Recommended Tour Route
Mount Wutai Archway → Tayuan Temple (Great White Pagoda) → Scripture Depository → Xiantong Temple → Lingfeng 108 Steps → Bodhisattva Top → Down the mountain → Guangzong Temple → Yuanzhao Temple → Luohou Temple → Taihuai Town.
Ticket Information
1. The ticket price for Mount Wutai Scenic Area is 168 yuan/person in peak season and 120 yuan/person in off-peak season.
2. The peak season is from April 1 to October 30; the off-peak season is from November 1 of the current year to March 31 of the following year.
3. Ticket prices for surrounding attractions:
Daguangming Temple: 0 yuan
Shuxiang Temple: 0 yuan
Luohou Temple: 4 yuan
Jifu Temple: 4 yuan
Zhenhai Temple: 4 yuan
Yuanzhao Temple: 5 yuan
Bishan Temple: 6 yuan
Dailuo Top: 8 yuan
Xiantong Temple: 10 yuan
Bodhisattva Top: 10 yuan
Tayuan Temple (Great White Pagoda): 10 yuan