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 | | | HEAVEN BLESSING CAVE | |
Bat and Elephant, in Oriental peoples’ beliefs, represent Good Genies who bring happiness and comfort to human-beings.
According to Buddhism history, in his early stage of becoming a Buddhist monk, Crown Prince SiddharthaGautama had once climbed up Snowy Mountain to sit facing the wall for 49 days before he was enlightened.
The stone figurations assembled on the flat piece of land around the Heaven Blessing Cave set the background of the Buddha‘s enlightenment on Snowy Mountain when he was preaching to all beings. That was the time when the universe (Heaven, Earth and Humans) was all united in one.
Five elephant heads and five bat heads (representing Five Blessings: wealth, position, longevity, good health and security), One Buffalo, Two Elephants, Three Great Beasts (Lion, tiger, bear), Four Supernatural Creatures (Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, Phoenix), were carved on those huge granites around the sitting Buddha statue, showing that they all are gathering to listen to Buddha’s preaching.
The relievo of a flock of 9 bats flying eastwardly will guide visitors to the main entrance to the Thien Phuc Cave, in front of which two carved stones of elephants lying prostrate are situated. In the main dome of the cave visitors will see a flock of stony bats skimming over the offered Five-Fruit tray, which represents the Buddhism Causal Principle. Inside the cave, a bat-god image hanging over the cave dome is bestowing holy water to visitors sincerely praying for blessing below.
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