The Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (also called the Great Mountain of Supreme Harmony) lies in the subtropical region of China, known for its lush greenery. Its exact location is Danjiangkou city in the country’s Hubei province.
Majestic and imposing, the mountainous compound comprises of nine palaces, 72 temples, 36 nunneries and 12 pavilions, all connected to one another by over 100 bridges.
The ancient building complex is not just a simple retreat from civilization for visitors as it spans an entire mountain range. Built by Chinese dynastic rulers, this building complex was meant to be an ode to the Taoist Gods.
The Wudang Mountains offer 2485 miles of beautiful landscape to a visitor, sprinkled with lakes, waterfalls, pools, and hundreds of peaks. There are 72 summits that one gets to see in the mountains, with the most popular one being the Tianzhu or the ‘Heavenly Pillar’ peak.
If you look closely you will find that the ancient complex at Wudang follows a specific hierarchal pattern. While the palaces are located mainly in the valleys and accompanying terraces, the monasteries ands nunneries have been built close by. They have also used eco-friendly material like wood and stone to add to the beauty of the mountain, rather than take away from it.
The ancient complex best-kept compound is that of the Purple Heaven palace that includes 29 buildings with five halls per terrace. It also has pavilions and adjoining buildings that house monks. The Forbidden City has only four entrance and exit points through wooden gates called the Gates of Heaven.
If the sheer size of the Wudang Mountain and its structures carries you away, then you tend to miss out on the finer details. Like the famous Dragon Head incense burner, which stands guard over the valley, is three meters long. Buddhist structures and altar tables in shimmering gold can be found across the mountain, and the Zhishi-Xuanyue Gateway has elaborate carvings of dragons, tortoises, cranes, clouds, waves and other celestial creatures.
Till today, the ancient complex continues to draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to its lush getaway. It has even inspired artists to commemorate the sacred mountain their work, like movie director Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
It was because of their immense natural beauty that the Wudang Mountains were chosen by Chinese Emperors to built their building complex of palaces and religious establishments.
The first construction in the Wudang Mountains was that of the Five Dragon Hall, built in the seventh century, in honour of a governor who made it rain by praying to the Gods. This hall was later converted into a temple and then a palace by successive rulers. This palace was the Purple Heaven Palace beneath Zhanqi Peak.
It took 20,000 workers a span of nearly two decades to build the entire building complex. After the completion of the project, around 3000 prisoners were brought to the site to look after the needs of the monks who lived and meditated here.
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