How to Plan Pilgrimage to Mount Wutai - Wutai Shan Chaotai Guide

Part One – Worshipping at Taihuai Town

Taihuai Town is the core area of whole Mount Wutai. You can skip the Five Terraces but never miss out Taihuai Town. The five greatest temples and many other influential temples are located in Taihuai Town. During your pilgrimage, you can either spend one full day in Taihuai Town to worship the essential temples or spend 2 or 3 days to visit more temples. . Below are the most important Buddhist temples you have to visit:

Tayuan Temple (Pagoda Courtyard Temple – 塔院寺)

Tayuan Temple is located in the center of Taihuai Town and is named after the Great White Pagoda, a symbol of Mount Wutai. This big white pagoda is 75.3 meters high and 83 meters around. It was built during Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty( AD 386~534). It has been repaired and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty(ad 1368~1644). It is said there is a stupa of Sakyamuni’s sarira built by ancient Indian King Ashoka and hair of Manjushri inside the Great White Pagoda. So every Buddhist should worship in Tayuan Temple.

Shuxiang Temple (Temple of Manjushri’s Statue – 殊像寺)

Shuxiang Temple was established in East Jin Dynasty (AD 317~420). It houses the biggest statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva which is nearly 10 meters high. It used to be visited by many ancient emperors and queens. Another highlight is the colorful hanging sculptures on the walls of Wenshu Hall which tell the stories of 500 arhats.

Xiantong Temple (显通寺)

Xiantong Temple is the largest as well as the oldest temple in Mount Wutai. It has more than 400 halls and temples most of which were built and repaired during Ming and Qing Dynasties. Bronze Hall, built in 1610 and made of 50,000 kg bronze, is one of the best preserved bronze halls in China. Most of the biggest Buddhist events and ceremonies are usually held here.

Pusa Ding Temple (Bodhisattva Summit – 菩萨顶)

Pusa Ding Temple, or Bodhisattva Summit, is located on the Liujiu Peak (灵鹫峰) of Mount Wutai. It is the largest Tibetan monastery in Mount Wutai. With many grand royal-style halls and temples, Pusa Ding used to be the exclusive temporary imperial palace where the ancient emperors in Ming and Qing Dynasties lived during their pilgrimage to Mount Wutai. According to Buddhist scriptures, Pusa Ding is the real residence of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Its architecture style is quite different from Xiantong Temple and other Zen Buddhist temple, which is featured in massive use of different colors.

Part Two – Worshiping at Five Terraces

After worshipping the temples in Taihuai Town, it’s time to move on to the Five Terraces. Your pilgrimage to Mount Wutai is only complete after worshipping the five clones of Manjusri Bodhisattva in the five temples on the terraces. These five terraces are East Terrace, North Terrace, Central Terrace, West Terrace and South Terrace where the five incarnations of Manjusri Bodhisattva (Intelligence, Immaculateness, Innocence, Lion Roar, and Wisdom) meditate.

East Terrace

East Terrace or Wanghaifeng (望海峰) is about 20km from Taihuai town. It is the ashram of Intelligence Manjusri. With an altitude of 2795m, this peak is the best place to enjoy sunrise over Mount Wutai.

North Terrace

With an altitude of 3061m, the North Terrace, or Yedoufeng(叶斗峰), is the highest peak in Mount Wutai even in northern China. It is reputed as the “Ridge of North China”. You can worship the Immaculateness Manjusri here.

Central Terrace

Located 10 kilometers northwest of Taihuai Town, the Central Terrace is shaped like a lion. There is a temple on the top of the terrace, named Yanjiao temple, which was founded in the Sui Dynasty (581~619). You can worship the Innocence Manjusri here.

West Terrace

The West Terrace is also known as Hanging Moon Peak(Guayuefeng-挂月峰), which is 2773 meters above sea level. At the top of the terrace sits the Falei Temple (Buddhism Thunder Temple). Falei means that Buddhism is like thunder, which can awaken all living beings. You can worship the Lion Roar Manjusri here.

South Terrace

South Terrace (Jinxiufeng-锦绣峰 2489m) is a single peak, which means it’s not connected to the other four peaks. It is the ashram of Wisdom Manjusri. It also provides amazing scenery of grasslands and flowers.

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Dailuo Ding Temple (黛螺顶)

Dailuo Ding Temple is the highest-altitude temple in Taihuai Town. It is located on a slope of East Terrace from where you can enjoy a panorama of other temples and Taihuai Town. This temple houses all the five clones of Manjusri Bodhisattva so that pilgrims who are short on time or energy don’t have to hike 2 days to worship to the Manjusri Bodhisattva on the five terraces. One has to climb 1080 steps or take a cable car to get to Dailuo Ding Temple.

Legend has it that the Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty had a strong belief in Buddhism. Once a year, he came to Mount Wutai to worship the Manjusri Bodhisattva, but failed to worship the Five Terraces because of high altitude, distance and coldness. To help Qianlong realize his pilgrimage dream, the monks in Pusa Ding Temple created the statues of the five incarnations of Manjusri Bodhisattva in the temple hall. Several years later, Qianlong returned to Mount Wutai and worshiped all the incarnations successfully. To thank the efforts the monks had done, Qianlong granted a substantial found to support the temple. Since then, the Xiao Chaotai became more and more popular among both royal families and common pilgrims.

Foguang Temple Is Worth Your Visit

After Xiao Chaotai, if time allows, don't miss out Foguang Temple which is hidden treasure but forgotten by most of tourist groups. Its Eastern Hall is one of three survived wooden architecture of Tang Dynasty (AD 618~907) in China, and best preserved of its kind. The Tang Dynasty architecture, sculptures, murals and inscription have high value of history and art, and praised as “four wonders”. The famous Chinese architect Liang Sicheng (梁思成) praised it as “the No. 1 Treasure of Chinese Architecture” because defeated the option of some Japanese scholars that only Japan is the only place on earth to witness wooden architecture of Tang Dynasty. Please note Foguang Temple is not located in Taihuai Town. One has to drive about 50km to get there from Taihuai Town. The reward is that you can enjoy a much peaceful visit without disturbance from tourist groups.

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