Wahuang Palace is located on the Tangwangjiao Mountain, a branch of the Taihang Mountains, with a range of scenic and forested mountains in the west of Handan. Built in the Northern Qi Dynasty, it is the largest temple in China to commemorate the ancient Creator-goddess.
Well known as "Nainai Ding", Wahuang Palace is located in Tangwangjiao Mountain in northwestern Shexian County and about 68 miles to the west of Handan City. First built in Northern Qi Dynasty, it was constructed in remembrance of Nuwa, a goddess in Chinese mythology. The main Wahuang Palace is situated on the right side of the mountain. It is four storey high and measures 75 feet tall.
The whole structure was built along the contour of the mountain. There are 135 houses, three grottoes and six cliff sutra inscriptions of the Northern Qi Dynasty and 75 inscribed stone tablets of successive dynasties. At present, it covers an area of 760,000 square meters, and includes the Chaoyuan Palace, the Tingcan Palace, the Guangsheng Palace and the Memorial Archway, etc.
The Wahuang Palace is built on the steep mountainside, the Wahuang Pavilion, the Dressing Building, the Hexangular Pavilion, the Yingshuang Building, the Bell-Drum Tower, the Wooden Memorial Archway, the Pond House and the Palace Gate are arranged on a platform of the mountain. The eight iron chains secure Qingxu Pavilion, Zaohua Pavilion and Butian Pavilion to the cliffs from the bottom to the top. The elegance of the construction demonstrates the ingenuity and high level of Chinese ancient architecture.
The Wahuang Palace is the earliest and largest ancient building used to enshrine Goddess Nuwa of ancient times, and it was constructed in the 6thcentury. In the initial period, the Wahuang Palace was small, consisting of only three stone rooms and some statues of Gods and Baddhas. It was continuously expanded and constructed during the following dynasties.
The Goddess Nuwa's Temple
ReplyDelete