Qixia Ancient Temple in Nanjing, a Buddhist holy site with a thousand-year history

Qixia Ancient Temple in Nanjing, a Buddhist holy site with a thousand-year history, was built in the second year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (484 AD). It is one of the four famous temples in China and also the birthplace of the Buddhist "Three Treatises School." Its profound historical heritage is praised as "One Qixia Temple, Half of Jinling's History." In Qixia Ancient Temple, three national treasure-level cultural relics are particularly eye-catching: the Sui Pagoda, the Tang Stele, and the Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes. First, the Sui Pagoda, also known as the Relic Stone Pagoda. This pagoda stands 18.73 meters high, designed in a five-tiered, eight-sided dense eaves style, and is meticulously carved from granite. The pagoda body is covered with exquisite Buddhist carvings, showcasing high artistic value and is regarded as an outstanding representative of Buddhist art in Jiangnan. According to records, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, ordered the construction of pagodas across the country to enshrine relics in gratitude for Buddha's grace. The Relic Pagoda of Qixia Temple was one of the earliest to be completed. Despite weathering thousands of years, the main structure of the Relic Pagoda remains well-preserved after several restorations. The underground palace beneath the pagoda is said to be the legendary repository of Buddha's relics, which remains an unsolved mystery to this day. Second, the Tang Stele, also known as the Ming Zhengjun Stele. This stele is located within Qixia Temple and was erected to commemorate the founder of Qixia Temple, Ming Sengshao, who donated his residence to establish the temple. The inscription on the stele was written in running script by the famous Tang Dynasty calligrapher Gao Zhengchen. The writing is fluid and vivid, making it a masterpiece among steles. The material of the stele is also unique, made from gray limestone from Qixia Mountain, with a surface covered in plum blossom-like patterns. These patterns are actually fossils of crinoid stems and Chinese coral fossils from 280 million years ago, numbering over 22,000, with high geological value, earning it the name "Plum Blossom Stone." Lastly, the Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes. As one of the only three remaining Southern Dynasty grottoes in the country, the Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes preserve a total of 254 Buddha niches of various sizes. Although some niches have been covered with cement and eroded by time, their unique style, form, and combination still reflect the distinctive charm of Southern Dynasty grottoes. The excavation of the Thousand Buddha Cliff Grottoes predates the famous Longmen Grottoes by more than ten years, making it an important physical material for studying Southern Dynasty Buddhist culture. These three national treasure-level cultural relics not only witness the glorious history of Qixia Ancient Temple but also provide valuable physical materials for the study of Chinese Buddhist art history and geology.