Ziyun Temple Introduction
Ziyun Temple is a famous third-level historic site in the Chiayi area, located at the edge of the Alishan mountain range at Bantian Rock, about seventeen kilometers from Chiayi City. Among the Buddhist temples in Taiwan, it is one of the older historic sites. The temple was established in the 21st year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1682) and has a history of over three hundred years. Ziyun Temple is oriented southeast and features a temple structure with five openings and two halls with corridors on both sides, flanked by dragon sculptures. In front of the temple is a spacious courtyard, and on both sides of the water corridor are two-story bell and drum towers. The columns of the front hall have inscriptions that read: "Purple light glimpses colors, cloud shadows reflect the heart of the cicada." The exterior decoration is on the three front columns, and on both sides of the central door are stone carvings of a pair of returning qilin. The carvings at Ziyun Temple are extremely intricate, with dragon pillars, phoenix tails, roof beams, and other sculptures that are truly commendable. Between the gable walls, there is the "Buddha Incense Lamp Stele" from 1765 (established by Master Juefeng, clarifying the scope of the temple property), the "Bantian Rock Reconstruction Stele" from 1857 (established by Guo Zhuohai), and eight other ancient steles including the record of the construction of the Qingtang Temple and the "Buddha Stele of Bantian Rock," all of which are still legible today. In front of the temple, there are two 200-year-old ancient plums, famously known as "Mandarin Duck Plums." Surrounding the temple, several hectares of paulownia and tung trees are planted, and during the flowering season, they create a sea of white flowers, filling the air with a fragrant aroma that invigorates the spirit.
