Do you know who is enshrined in the Dragon King Temple?
The Dragon King Temple, also known as the Dragon King Palace or Dragon King Temple, is a place to worship the Dragon King in traditional Chinese culture. In ancient China, it was believed that the dragon king could control the rain and bless the harvest and safety of the water and soil. Therefore, the Dragon King Temple is spread all over the country and has become an important place for people to pray for good weather and abundant grains.
So, who is enshrined in the Dragon King Temple? The answer is the "Dragon King of the East China Sea". The Dragon King of the East China Sea is a fictional character in Han folk beliefs, named Ao Guang, who is the king of the water tribe in the water, in charge of Xingyun rainfall. Legend has it that the dragon can travel clouds and rain, eliminate disasters and bring blessings, so auspicious, so the way to pray for peace and harvest in the way of dragon dance is popular in the country, so the precipitation direction of the country has an absolute allocation ability, to the upper Mo said that it is rain, even if it is hail is also under the control of the Dragon King of the East China Sea.
Legend has it that the lack of rain and drought in the spring and summer caused farmers to lose their harvest. As autumn approached, the Dragon King of the East China Sea knew that the drought was raging and the sins were heavy, and he was ashamed to go to Heaven to meet the immortals. It happened that the Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South China Sea passed by here, and she was compassionate and gave guidance to the Dragon King of the East China Sea: just use willow branches to carry water droplets and rain threads and sprinkle them to the world. Before heading out to relieve the drought, Guanyin reminded the Dragon King of the East China Sea that he would have to go through a bumpy road to temper his will and help him mend his ways.
This road is bumpy, tattered, and even as sharp as a knife, piercing people's hearts. Guanyin Bodhisattva then took out a golden bowl for turning into a relationship, and told the Dragon King of the East China Sea to turn his fate to passers-by like a beggar, so as to fill his hunger and accumulate strength and continue to move forward. She explained that some local customs are that when passing by a temple, you must turn your fortune to a monk or Taoist priest as a sign of devotion. In order to better understand this truth, the Dragon King of the East China Sea made the golden bowl upside down.
After seven days and seven nights of arduous trekking, the Dragon King of the East China Sea finally became an immortal. Thanks to the recommendation of the Great Black Heavenly God, he was able to meet the immortals of the Heavenly Court. The Great Black Celestial God is a divine turtle under the throne of the Emperor Zhenwu of the North. In order to realize the grand wish of raining clouds and saving the people from fire and water, the Dragon King of the East China Sea was appreciated by the Jade Emperor and was named the god general of Tuiyun, and was later promoted to the Dragon King of the East China Sea.
In ancient Chinese culture, the Dragon King of the East China Sea was depicted as a deity wearing a dragon robe and a dragon crown on his head. He sat upright on the dragon chair, majestic and mysterious. Every year on the second day of the second lunar month, it is the traditional "Dragon Raising Head Festival", on which people will hold a grand sacrifice ceremony to pray for good weather and abundant grains. During the ceremony, people would offer various offerings such as wine, fruits, incense sticks, etc., to the Dragon King of the East Sea to express their awe and gratitude to the gods.
In addition to Chinese mainland, the influence of the Dragon King of the East China Sea has also spread to Hong Kong, Macao and overseas Chinese communities. In these areas, there are also many temples and rituals that worship the Dragon King of the East Sea. It is believed that worshipping the Dragon King of the East China Sea will bless the safety of the family and bring good luck and wealth. As a result, many businesses and families would enshrine statues or shrines of the Dragon King of the East China Sea in their homes or shops so that they could pray for the protection of the gods at any time.
In short, the Dragon King of the East China Sea, as an important deity in traditional Chinese culture, carries people's good wishes for good weather and abundant grains. Whether it is the Chinese community in China or overseas, people express their awe for life and hope for the future by worshipping the Dragon King of the East China Sea. In today's society, although the concept of science is gradually gaining popularity, for many people, faith and prayer for the protection of the gods are still an integral part of life.