Grotto-heavens
Encyclopedia
Grotto-heavens are a type of sacred Taoist
site. Grotto-heavens are usually caves, mountain hollows, or other underground spaces. Because every community was supposed to have access to at least one grotto, there were many of them all over China
. They were first organized systematically in the Tang Dynasty
by Sima Chengzhen and Du Guangting. The most sacred of these sites were divided into two types: The ten greater grotto-heavens and the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens.
The ten greater grotto-heavens are as follows:
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
site. Grotto-heavens are usually caves, mountain hollows, or other underground spaces. Because every community was supposed to have access to at least one grotto, there were many of them all over China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. They were first organized systematically in the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
by Sima Chengzhen and Du Guangting. The most sacred of these sites were divided into two types: The ten greater grotto-heavens and the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens.
The ten greater grotto-heavens are as follows:
- Mt. WangwuMount WangwuMount Wangwu is a mountain situated about north west of Jiyuan City in China’s Henan Province. Located in the Wangwushan-Yuntaishan National Park, Mount Wangwu is a famous Taoist site that includes the “Celestial Grotto of the Small Pristine Void” , one of the Ten Grotto-heavens of...
grotto 王屋山 (HenanHenanHenan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) - Mt. Weiyu grotto 委羽山 (ZhejiangZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
) - Mt. Xicheng grotto 西城山 (ShanxiShanxi' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
) - Mt. Xixuan grotto 西玄山 (SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
) - Mt. QingchengMount QingchengMount Qingcheng is a mountain in Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China. It is amongst the most important centres of Taoism in China. In Taoism mythology, it was the site of the Yellow Emperor's studies with Ning Fengzhi. As a centre of the Daoist religion it became host to many temples. The mountain has 36...
grotto 青城山 (part of HuashanHuashanHuashan may refer to the following locations in China:*Mount Hua , well-known mountain of Shaanxi*Hua Hill , in northeastern Jinan, Shandong*Huashan District , district of Ma'anshan, AnhuiTownsWritten as "华山镇"...
, Shanxi) - Mt. Chicheng grotto 赤城山 (GuangdongGuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
) - Mt. LuofuMount LuofuMount Luofu is a sacred mountain in China—though not one of the Sacred Mountains of China—situated on the north bank of the Dongjiang in the northwest of Bóluó County in the prefecture of Huizhou in Guangdong Province that covers 250 kilometers.Among the many temples on Mt...
grotto 罗浮山 (Zhejiang) - Mt. Gouqu grotto 句曲山 (JiangsuJiangsu' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, in Lake Tai) - Mt. Linwu grotto 林屋山 (on Maoshan, Jiangsu)
- Mt. Kuocang grotto 括苍山 (Zhejiang)