Yu Tai Temple

After climbing for 999 steps, finally I arrived at the entrance of Yu Tai Temple that was considered as the Buddhist holy place in my hometown. The entrance was about 30 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Four granite pillars formed three gateways of the entrance with each pillar being twelve feet in girth. Three eaves were built on top of the pillars over each gateway. A black wooden tablet was hanging above the middle gateway with three encrypted golden words – Yu Tai Temple. Passing through the entrance, I stepped into a rectangular courtyard with two 60-foot-tall kapok trees standing on both sides. On the left of the courtyard, there stood a pagoda that was 9 feet tall with a history of more than 200 years. The ancient pagoda was respected as a cimelia of the temple. On the other side of the courtyard, an 800-pound bronze bell was hung in a pavilion. This bell was stroked 108 times by the monks on every New Year’s Day to celebrate a new beginning and to request blessing from God. A monument encrypted with the history of the temple stood besides the pavilion. At the far end of the courtyard, a ten-foot-high platform with two staircases on both sides rose from the ground. A two-floor building – Great Giant Palace – was located on the center of the platform. The main floor was the pilgrimage hall and the second floor was a loft surrounded by the roof of the first floor. The exterior of the building was mainly painted in red, but the roofs were tiled in golden ceramic. Being exited and curious, I stepped up onto the platform and walked into the pilgrimage hall. Three Buddha statues facing to doors sat at the back of the hall. The Sakyamuni statue, which was in the middle, was about 15 feet tall coated with gold foil. A long bench covered with red silk was placed in front of the statues. Three huge censers with burning incense were set on the bench. Being surrounded by the misty smog and mystic aura, I was confused if I should fell on my knees and prayed for my fortunes as the others did.