Pusading Temple

菩萨顶

An imperial temple on Vulture Peak and the foremost Tibetan Yellow Sect temple on Mount Wutai, once a Qing imperial lodge. The 108 steps and the Wutai Sacred Land archway offer the best view over Taihuai Town.

Pusading Temple sits on the summit of Vulture Peak, north of Taihuai Town. Legend says Manjushri once manifested here, hence the name. It was founded in the Northern Wei. In the Shunzhi era of the Qing it was converted into a lamasery and became the leading temple of Tibetan Buddhism (the Yellow Sect) on Mount Wutai. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong visited repeatedly and stayed here, so it has imperial-standard yellow glazed tiles and red walls, the same as the palaces in Beijing. Climb the 108 stone steps (symbolizing the cutting off of 108 afflictions) to the mountain gate, a four-pillar, three-gate archway called Lingfeng Sacred Scenery. Its plaque, Wutai Sacred Land, was inscribed by the Kangxi Emperor. Looking back from here gives the most classic panorama of Taihuai Town, with the Great White Pagoda and the halls of Xiantong Temple in full view. Inside, the Mahavira Hall and the Manjushri Hall are in Tibetan style, with imperial steles from Kangxi and Qianlong in front. In the back courtyard, a large Ming bronze pot (2 meters in diameter) was used to cook porridge for ceremonies. The Qianlong stele in four scripts in the stele pavilion is worth seeing. A visit takes about 1 hour, and it can be combined with Xiantong Temple and Luohou Temple into a half-day route. Entry costs about 10 yuan. Getting there: walk about 15 minutes up from the north gate of Xiantong Temple, or take a vehicle from Taihuai Town to the parking lot behind the temple to skip the steps. Notes: the steps are steep, so older visitors should go slowly. Do not disturb monks chanting inside. The archway area gets crowded, so early morning is the best time to take photos.

Pusading Temple

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