Dailuoding Temple
黛螺顶
The 'Little Pilgrimage'. Climb the 1,080 steps of the Great Wisdom Path to the mountaintop temple to worship the Five Manjushris, which is like visiting all five terraces in one trip, with views over all of Taihuai Town.
Dailuoding sits on a peak on the east bank of the Qingshui River, about 1,800 meters above sea level. It is named for its shape, which resembles a dark blue conch. The temple's Five Manjushri Hall enshrines five Manjushris at once: the Clever Manjushri of the east terrace, the Immaculate Manjushri of the north, the Child Manjushri of the center, the Wisdom Manjushri of the south and the Lion's Roar Manjushri of the west. Legend says the elderly Qianlong Emperor could not climb all five terraces, so he ordered the Manjushri Bodhisattvas of the five summits to be gathered here. Worshipping at Dailuoding is therefore like worshipping at all five, which is why it is called the 'Little Pilgrimage', in contrast to the 'Great Pilgrimage' of hiking all five terraces. There are three routes to the top. The main one is the 1,080-step Great Wisdom Path, where devout pilgrims bow at every step. Ordinary visitors take 40 to 60 minutes. Beside it, a winding road has a cable car (about 50 yuan one way, about 85 yuan round trip) that takes 10 minutes to reach the top. There is also a gentler old trail. On the summit, besides the Five Manjushri Hall, there are the Zhantan Hall, the Mahavira Hall and Qianlong's poem stele. The terrace in front of the temple overlooks the temple cluster of Taihuai Town, the Great White Pagoda and Pusading, and it is one of the best spots to photograph the panorama of Mount Wutai. A visit takes about 2 hours. Entry costs about 8 yuan, and the cable car is extra. Getting there: walk about 15 minutes from the center of Taihuai Town to the foot of the mountain. Notes: the steps are steep and long, so bring water and a walking stick. The steps are slippery in rain. Climb in the morning to avoid afternoon thunderstorms.
Opening hours
06:30–18:00 (cable car 08:00–17:00)
Nearby sights
- Bishan Temple
- Pushou Temple
- Luohou Temple
- Yuanzhao Temple
- Xiantong Temple
- Wuye Temple (Wanfo Pavilion)
- Pusading Temple
- Tayuan Temple & Great White Pagoda