Talk about Zhang Ye's mood

The Hexi Corridor, which stretches for thousands of miles, is the throat and the only way of the Silk Road. The prosperity of economy and culture has left countless historical sites and artistic treasures to this area.

Buddhism gradually moved eastward from Hexi Corridor and spread from India to the Central Plains. With the rise of Buddhism, the art of cave temples flourished.

From Dunhuang to Wuwei, a large number of cave temples have been built in Qilian Mountain.

In addition to the world-famous Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Anxi Yulin Grottoes and Wuwei Tiantishan Grottoes, there are many cave temples worth appreciating. However, due to inconvenient transportation and insufficient fame, few people know about them.

We almost missed the ancient temple hidden under Qilian Mountain-Zhangye Horseshoe Temple.

As one of the "Four Counties in Hexi", Zhangye was formerly called "Ganzhou", which is the origin of the word "Gan" in "Gansu", showing its important position in history.

Before traveling to Zhangye, we only knew the landforms of "Ghost Town" and "Colorful Danxia" popular in Zhang Yimou movies.

Knowing that another cave temple, Horseshoe Temple, has been dug on the cliff, I decided to hire a car without hesitation.

The biggest problem in taking the Hexi front line is traffic, and chartered cars are the most convenient.

Early in the morning, we started from Zhangye city and drove more than 60 kilometers to the southeast, about an hour and a half.

With the approach of our destination, we gradually entered the embrace of Qilian Mountain.

A cloud, a grain of sand, a mountain, a road. Perhaps there are too many stories of heroes and brave people left behind. Walking on the road in the northwest, there is always a tragic feeling of fighting alone and walking on Wan Li Road.

The distant peaks are covered with snow all year round, and they are all white and dazzling under the sunlight.

A parking lot, a brand-new archway, a little fireworks and commercial atmosphere have been opened at the entrance of the scenic spot.

However, the further we go, the wider our horizons will be. The mountains are deep, which is very suitable for monks and believers to practice Zen and preach and teach.

Finally meet horseshoe temple! Looking from a distance, I was overjoyed to see the outline of the temple above the cliff.

There are seven caves in Horseshoe Temple Scenic Area, which are called Horseshoe Temple North Temple, namely Puguang Temple.

Looking up, it is 43 meters high, ***7 floors, 2 1 cave, pagoda shape, and it is absolutely incomparable.

Under difficult conditions, how did monks and working people carve such touching masterpieces on hard stone walls? It's amazing!

Many people compare horseshoe temple with Shanxi Hanging Temple, but there is a big difference.

Hanging temple, built outside the mountain, is supported by thick wooden columns at the mouth of the bowl.

Horseshoe Temple was dug out of the mountain and completely embedded in the stone wall.

Seeing this architectural form for the first time, I can't wait to "drill" into the stone gate to find out.

Just entering the passage, it can accommodate two people, and each stone step is not very high, so it is easy to climb up. It's interesting to stretch your legs and feet after sitting in the car for half a day.

First, climb the stone steps. After a while, you will enter the horizontal channel. The passage is beautifully decorated, so you can look out.

After several detours, I gradually feel that the passage is getting narrower and narrower, and the stone steps are not as neat and flat as before.

Usually, climbing the seventh floor in one breath will make you breathless, let alone crawling in a maze of caves.

The last section of the road can only accommodate one person to grope alone, and it simply needs four feet. It is difficult for sunlight to enter, and the tunnel is dark, which is a bit scary.

For an instant, I seemed to have traveled through time and space. Like Xuanzang, he has experienced thousands of tests of life and death. He is like a monk, desperate in the desert.

However, after the efforts of "holding on for a while", just as Xuanzang finally arrived in Tianzhu Buddhist country and retrieved the true scriptures. Le Zun suddenly saw the golden light shining like Buddha and dug the first cave of Mogao Grottoes.

We finally reached the top of horseshoe temple.

In a small Buddhist temple, hundreds of oil lamps are flashing.

Although I am not religious, I believe in the power of religion. Walking into the Buddhist temple from the dark tunnel, I was very excited, and my previous fatigue and fear were swept away. This process is like practicing, crossing the confusion, and the light illuminates everyone's heart.

Why is it called horseshoe temple? There are many folklore.

The eighth cave in the scenic spot is called "Horseshoe Hall", and there are really horseshoe prints on the ground. This is the origin of the name of horseshoe temple.

Who left the horseshoe prints?

It is said that one day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining, and the Tibetan hero King Gelsall rode by here. Tianma is attracted by the beautiful scenery here and wants to have a rest and enjoy it for a while. As soon as the horseshoe landed, King Gelsall jerked the reins, and the horse jumped up and flew away, but the horseshoe print stayed here forever.

Legends are just legends. In the scenic spot, we heard three answers. Besides King Gelsall, there are two different versions of Erlang God and Emperor Qianlong.

Thus, Horseshoe Temple is the holy land of Tibetan Buddhism.

There is another saying.

When the grottoes were built, a seal was found engraved with the word "mother" in Tibetan. Tibetans call it "mother's mark". The pronunciation of Tibetan is similar to that of "horse body" and "horseshoe" in Chinese, so the local China people call it "horseshoe temple".

Horseshoe Temple Scenic Area is a cave group. Horseshoe Temple is divided into North Temple (Pusheng Temple) and Henan Temple (Guo Sheng Temple). There are also seven grottoes, including Jinta Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Upper, Middle and Lower Guanyin Cave. There are more than 70 large and small caves, from sixteen countries to Ming and Qing dynasties, which have preserved Buddhist art treasures for nearly 1600 years.

There are stone statues and murals in the Cave Temple, carving out various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, Lux, Tian Fei and monsters described in Buddhist scriptures. Through vivid artistic imagination, those non-existent assumptions are vividly displayed to people.

The influence of Buddhism was not formed overnight. Through stone statues, murals and other art forms, ordinary Lebanese people are more likely to perceive it, accept it and believe it.

Those working people who suffered from war, slavery and poverty seek spiritual liberation and comfort through Buddhist beliefs, so that their hearts can be pinned.

There are many cave temples in the Horseshoe Temple Scenic Area, so it is a chore to go up and down the mountain during the tour.

Monks and believers take pains to watch Buddha, recite Buddha and recite Buddha here.

We ordinary people appreciate the magnificent art and simplicity of the Buddhist world, and our hearts are very satisfied.

In terms of appearance, some people call it "Little Potala".

As far as the shape and content of grottoes and murals are concerned, some people call them "Little Mogao Grottoes".

People who have been to Lhasa or Dunhuang may give up here.

Zhangye Horseshoe Temple stands proudly under the Millennium Snow Mountain, and its maze-like caves and clean buildings have given me irreplaceable shock. This is a national 4A-level tourist area integrating grotto art, religious culture, ethnic customs and natural scenery, which is well worth visiting.

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