Grotto-heavens

Grotto-heavens(Chinese:Động thiên;pinyin:Dòngtiān) are a type of sacredTaoistsite. Grotto-heavens are usuallycaves,grottoes,mountain hollows,or other underground spaces.

In theTang dynasty,immortals were thought to have lived in certain immortal cave-heaven lands that existed between heaven and earth, shrouded by colorful clouds; wonderful flowers, peach trees and fragrant grass were often said to have grown there.

Because every community was supposed to have access to at least one grotto, there were many of them all overChina.They were first organized systematically in Tang times bySima Chengzhen(Tư Mã thừa trinh) (647–735, seeZuowanglun) andDu Guangting(Đỗ quang đình) (850-933).The most sacred of these sites were divided into two types: The ten greater grotto-heavens and the thirty-six lesser grotto-heavens.

View from insideTaiji Cavegrotto-heaven (simplified Chinese:Thái Cực động;traditional Chinese:Thái Cực động;pinyin:Tàijí Dòng;lit.'Cave of theSupreme Ultimate') is akarstcave located on Shilong Mountain (Thạch long sơn), inGuangde County,Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China.

Locations of the ten greater grotto-heavens are as follows:

• Mt. WangwugrottoVương Ốc sơn(Henan)
• Mt. Weiyu grottoỦy vũ sơn(Zhe gian g)
• Mt. Xicheng grottoTây thành sơn(Shanxi)
• Mt. Xixuan grottoTây huyền sơn(Sichuan)
• Mt. QingchenggrottoNúi Thanh Thành(part ofHuashan,Shanxi)
• Mt. Chicheng grottoXích thành sơn(Guangdong)
• Mt. LuofugrottoLa Phù Sơn(Guangdong)
• Mt. Gouqu grottoCâu khúc sơn(Jiangsu,inLake Tai)
• Mt. Linwu grottoLâm phòng sơn(onMaoshan,Jiangsu)
• Mt. Kuocang grottoQuát Thương Sơn(Zhe gian g)

Sources

• Kohn, Livia,ed.Daoism Handbook(Leiden: Brill, 2000).

See also

• Buddhist grottoes (China)
  • Longmen Grottoes
  • Mogao Caves
  • Yungang Grottoes
• Sacred Mountains of China
• Xianren Cave
• Beyul