Zigong, the salt capital of southern Sichuan, has a long history. The city was established in 1939 because of salt. Zigong City is named after its main urban areas: one is called Ziliujing (originally part of Fushun County) and the other is called Gongjing (originally part of Rong County). The latter has a longer history. As early as about 1,400 years ago during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Gongjing Town was established because of the famous Dagong Well. It was renamed Gongjing Town in the early Qing Dynasty. The famous ancient temple Tianchi Temple is located on Tianchi Mountain not far from the Dagong Well ruins.
The beautiful and ultra-dusty Tianchi Mountain, the thunderous Xuixing Bridge and the waterfall add to the elegant and elegant temperament of Gongjing City. After crossing the Gongjing Bridge, we crossed the Old Street (this is the real old street!) along a narrow alley lined with well-preserved residential courtyards from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, and then winding all the way up the mountain, we arrived. The renovated Tianchi Temple. On the archway in front of the temple, there are several couplets inscribed with the word "Tianchi" written by the people of the city:
The heavens are so sentimental, and after six hundred years of vicissitudes, the clouds in the stream below the foothills and the moon in the mountains in front of the temple are still preserved;
The pool is still intact. After decades of transformation, thousands of lights and towers have been added. (Jin Wenda)
Take the spiritual spring as a tribute to open a treasure well;
The jade liquid from the sky pours into the pond. (Zhong Youjie)
The heaven and earth are dense with righteous energy, pregnant with Zen machines, and the light of the eight poles of Buddha shines everywhere;
The pond is full of spring grass, spreading the wonderful Dharma, and the holy religions of the ten directions are flourishing. (Huang Zongrang)
This place now belongs to Zhulin Village, Aiye Town, Gongjing District. It has majestic mountains and wide views. It is indeed a good Feng Shui. The temple is engraved with "Notes on the Reconstruction of Tianchi Temple" written by Huang Zongrang and Fu Xiaodong, which records the origin of the names of Tianchi Mountain and Tianchi Temple and the surrounding environment:
"Tianchi Temple: There are clear springs on the ground. The pond gurgled endlessly, and the people in the city thought it was a gift from heaven, so they called it "Tianchi" - hence the temple's name. The place is quiet and quiet, close to the city but far away from the hustle and bustle. Looking down at Fuxi Xushui River, you can see Jianfengling and Tianxinwo scenery on the left and right."
It is said that the predecessor of Tianchi Temple was built by Shizhi Zen on the tide of Jianfengling near Tianchi Mountain during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. The temple was later destroyed by thunder and fire. During the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zou Chanchun donated money and moved the temple to its current location. The temple was renamed, and its popularity and reputation grew day by day. In the 4th year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, masters Benwu and Juedao of the Mahayana Temple in Mount Emei came to the temple to preside over the construction of the Mahavira Hall, and the scale of the temple was greatly expanded. Although it was repaired several times in the following hundreds of years, due to the unrest in the world, it also experienced a process of prosperity and decline. Before the founding of New China, the dilapidated Tianchi Temple could not even save its walls, and the remaining bricks and foundation stones were torn down. Use it to build bunkers for fighting civil war. "Rebuilding the Tianchi Temple" lamented this: "Oh! The world is in chaos, the Zen forest is in disaster, and the light of the Buddha will no longer shine."
In the 1980s, all kinds of wastes were restored, thanks to the government With the policy of protecting religion, the current abbot Shi Huisheng and others made good connections, initiated donations, and supported people from all walks of life, Tianchi Ancient Temple was restored to glory. In 1985, it was approved to be opened to the public by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Department of the Zigong Municipal Government. In 1989, it was approved as a Gongjing District cultural relics protection unit. Now, Tianchi Temple covers an area of ??600 acres and has a radius of 2.5 kilometers. It has newly built the Main Hall, Sanbao Hall, Guanyin Hall, Pilu Hall, Chunyang Hall, White Horse Hall, Jieyin Hall, Sutra Library and Stone Workshop. The Buddha statue was carefully carved from mahogany by Zhejiang craftsmen. The golden body is shining and the treasure is solemn. Throughout the year, Buddhist believers come here to burn incense and pay homage to the Buddha, and many tourists come here to watch as they wish. Tianchi Temple has regained its former splendor during the heyday of incense.