How many temples are there in our country? There are temples of different sizes in every urban area, but there is an ancient temple in Beijing that is different, that is, the temple area is not too large, but it is strange that there are armed police standing guard 24 hours a day at the door.
So what is "extraordinary" about this temple? Or what is so special about it, it must be guarded by armed police soldiers. Is it just because it's 1,700 years old and it's an ancient temple?
This ancient temple is located in the Xitougou area of Beijing Tan Tuo Temple, although now called "Tan Tuo Temple", but at the beginning, that is, when it was just established, it was named "Jiafu Temple".
This needs to be traced back to 1700 years ago, when it was the Yongjia period of the Western Jin Dynasty, and the reason why this temple was built had a lot to do with the then Governor Wangjun.
Dudu Wangjun quelled the rebellion of the eight kings, and made great contributions to the Western Jin Dynasty, as a generation of famous generals, his merits are enough to be recorded in history, as a high-spirited courtier, his future is limitless.
What's even more commendable is that he has a deep love for his wife, and he was knighted not long after, but he didn't expect his wife to pass away, for which Wang Jun was in great pain, and he couldn't accept this fact.
In order to make his heart feel better, he also hoped to be able to pray for his wife, so he ordered to build a small temple and named it "Jiafu Temple", which means to pray for his wife in the Yongjia period, which is the original prototype of Tantuo Temple.
In the subsequent records, it can be seen that Jiafu Temple was dilapidated, and it was also rebuilt, and the name was also changed to "Longquan Temple", "Dawan Temple", etc., and of course, it was also rerevised to "Jiafu Temple".
Nowadays, the name of the temple is "Tantuo Temple", because there is a pool of water near the temple, the spring water is very sweet, and the people who live nearby like to come here to draw water to drink.
There is also a large area of Takushu trees on the hillside near Tantuo Temple, which flourish in the middle of summer, so that the people who come to the temple to pray for blessings can enjoy the shade here.
At that time, the presiding officer of the temple changed the former "Jiafu Temple" to "Tantuo Temple", although the name was changed several times, but the most recognized in people's hearts is still Tantuo Temple, so this name has been used to this day.
Tantuo Temple can be said to be a temple with a long history, it once had a deep relationship with the three emperors in history, so this temple, although the area is not large, is very famous.
There is a treasure in Tantuo Temple, that is, the princess in the Guanyin Hall worships bricks, and the origin of the princess worships bricks has a lot to do with Kublai Khan's daughter. When Kublai Khan ascended the throne as emperor, his daughter hoped to pray for her father, after all, to be able to become emperor, her hands were bound to be covered with blood, even if it was an enemy, it was a murder.
As the daughter of Kublai Khan, she wanted to pray for atonement for her father's sins, so she gave up the glory and wealth in front of her, and resolutely became a nun in Tantuo Temple, whose Dharma name was "Miao Yan".
Because she knelt down and recited the scriptures for many years, her feet left a deep mark on the stone bricks, and at the same time, the people who came to pray for blessings saw the piety and repentance of Master Miao Yan back then.
There are also many people who come to Tantuo Temple to pray for their families at the same time, they want to see the princess worship bricks and learn about the history of the past, for believers, this is a pious holy miracle.
Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, also came to Tantuo Temple, he was not a devout Buddhist, but because of a person who was a monk here, he wanted to come to visit.
This person is Yao Guangxiao, the strategist who helped him ascend the throne as the emperor, as Zhu Di's confidant, he could have continued to serve the imperial court and become Zhu Di's right-hand man, but after becoming famous, he chose to resign.
After the regime stabilized, Zhu Di remembered Yao Guangxiao, and was even more grateful for his contributions to his own advice, so he came to Tantuo Temple to visit him.
The deepest relationship with Tantuo Temple is Emperor Kangxi, he himself has a good impression of Buddhism, so he has vigorously repaired and expanded Tanzhe Temple, a big tree in Tantuo Temple, Kangxi also likes it very much, and it is named "Emperor Tree".
Seeing that Kangxi favored Tantuo Temple, many people at that time often went to this temple to pray for blessings, which made Tantuo Temple's popularity reach its peak at that time, and the incense continued.
Perhaps because of its relationship with these emperors, Tantuo Temple gradually became a famous Buddhist temple, but this was not enough for armed police soldiers to guard it around the clock.
So what exactly is the reason? In fact, the reason why Tantuo Temple is so special is that on the one hand, it is also related to its daily ** amount. The number of people who came to pray was so large that the safety of the people could not be guaranteed without a guard.
Of course, another reason is more important, that is, there are too many cultural relics in Tantuo Temple, each of which cannot be measured by money, and if it is stolen by criminals, it will be a great loss.
The plaque inscribed by Emperor Kangxi alone and the precious cultural relics given by the emperors of the past dynasties have a very high value, and when the people come to pray for blessings, they are stolen by some lawbreakers, which is also very possible.
In addition to these cultural relics, Tantuo Temple has a lot of treasures, "Heavenly Stone Fish" carries a rich historical heritage and cultural connotation, is one of the treasures that many people will feast their eyes on when they come to pray for blessings.
According to legend, this stone fish was a treasure presented to the Jade Emperor by the Dragon King of the West Sea, but in the end, this sacred fish chose to live in Tantuo Temple and transformed into a stone fish. There are thirteen parts on its body, which is equivalent to thirteen provinces and cities, and if there is a drought in any place, it needs rain from the sky. At this time, the people who come to pray only need to touch which part to achieve their wishes.
Although it is only a legend, it also makes many people very curious about the "stone fish falling from the sky" and come to see it. Over time, "Stone Fish from the Sky" has become the treasure of Tantuo Temple.
Whether it is to protect the safety of the people, or to protect the cultural relics and treasures of Tantuo Temple, it is very necessary, so there is no need to make any fuss when you see armed police soldiers guarding at the gate of Tantuo Temple.
As a thousand-year-old temple, Tantuo Temple has such treatment. If you have the opportunity to visit Beijing, you might as well visit Tantuo Temple, as a temple that exudes a heavy historical atmosphere, it is worth visiting countless tourists.