Xiangshan Jingang Temple Introduction
Located in Dinglan, it is named Elephant Mountain due to its geographical resemblance to an elephant. The main deity worshiped here is Guanyin Bodhisattva. In China, the veneration of Guanyin Bodhisattva began in the 1st century BC with the introduction of Buddhism, and it spread to Korea and Japan in the mid-7th century. The belief in Guanyin Bodhisattva also reached Tibet in the 7th century, primarily in the form of the Four-Armed Guanyin, and the Dalai Lama is considered its incarnation. Before the Song Dynasty, Guanyin Bodhisattva was depicted as male; in the "Flower Adornment Sutra," Guanyin is described as a valiant husband, and in the "Sutra of the Sorrowful Sadness," as a good man. Later, in response to the wishes of devotees, Guanyin was transformed into a female form to embody maternal love and compassion to save sentient beings. [Source: Jinsha Township Office]
