Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t1.7

v1.c7.s3.t1.7

During Northern Wei and Northern Qi Dynasty, Mount Wutai was gaining attention from the emperor. In Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, the Emperor Wen of Sui (581-604) once ordered to establish a temple in each plateau of the Mount Wutai to enshrine and worship Manjusri but none of them is reserve up to now. Present-day Wanghai Temple in the east plateau, Falei Temple in the west plateau, Puji Temple in the south plateau, Lingying Temple in the north plateau and Yanjiao Temple in the middle plateau were all established after the Tang Dynasty and it was just in this Dynasty that Mount Wutai was ushered into its prime, especially after Buddhist tantra was formed in China and Manjusri, as the God of tantra, was specially worshipped and respected. Not merely did the Chinese Buddhism circle think of the Mount Wutai as the *ashram* of Manjusri, but foreign Buddhists also had such kind of thoughts and paid a visit to this place. Through incessant exploration and expansion of later generations, especially after Tibetan Buddhism made this place a Buddhist holy land, Mount Wutai became even more famous with a large number of grand Buddhist events launched here. Gradually, this mountain, along with the areas around it, developed into the greatest centre of Buddhist culture in Northern China. Today, it has a total of 95 temples in various sizes, recognised as the biggest Buddhism temple complex in China and listed into the Directory of World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 2009.