(1) Ciyun Temple in Chongqing has a remarkably small footprint (despite owning a seeming large tract of land). You can see the buildings marching up the hill behind this castle-like exterior.
(2) Although the entry is beautiful, it kind of reminds me of some restaurants I've seen (or do they remind me of this kind of architecture?)
(3) Inside that beautiful gateway, the climb begins.
(4) I'm standing in one corner of the "courtyard" (such as it is, actually a balcony around a courtyard), looking at the front of the main hall. This is how narrow it is.
(5) I noticed quite a few interesting details on stone railings this trip. This one is in the central courtyard.
(6) Another interesting post-top.
(7) The verticality of the grounds was interesting.
(8) A view of the Yangtze from about halfway up. (This is the river that separated this temple from the first I visited.)
(9) This small statue of the baby Shakyamuni had a very folk-art feeling. (And I love the Elvis cape.)
(10) This sign promises a "Guanyin Cave" burrowed into the hillside. I love caves! But...
(11) The inside of the "Guanyin Cave." Kinda cheesy, kinda cool.
(12) This hall is dedicated to the Medicine Buddha. You can see some figures ranged along the side. Who were they?
(13) Details of three of the figures (I shot them all, but won't bore you.)
(14) A closer look reveals that these "generals" represent the twelve years of the zodiac. The first one is a fierce-looking guy with a rabbit on his head.
Someone once asked me: How can I bear to go to so many temples? Aren't they all the same? The answer is, each temple has one or more peculiarities, and often contains "finds." The front of this temple, and the way it ranges up the hillside (in Chongqing, noted for its hilliness); and these generals were all real "finds."
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Last Updated August 13, 2019
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